Sweet Child Of Mine
by RedArcherx
Summary: What was Nyssa doing when she wasn't in Starling or Nyssa's new found love and spawn
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Quick note, Nyssa and Oliver are really good friends in this. It's Cannon but it's not cannon, ya know what I mean. Also Felicity and Oliver are not married and Thea and Roy will not leave forever. Also John hasn't left the team.**

Nyssa looked down at the now dried up Lazarus pit. She never thought she would see the day that it would run dry. She had just disbanded the league and had returned to the empty place she had called her home for her entire life. It was quiet and even those she thought she called her friends had left to either reunite with loved ones they left or had left to travel the world. Nyssa didn't blame them though, because of her they were all now free. Nyssa took a breath, breathing in the fresh air. She suddenly turned around when she heard footsteps to come face to face with a tall, dark haired, masculine man who often reminded her of Oliver Queen.

She had grown a fondness for this man, they had grown up together. She was surprised to see him here as everyone else had left, why hadn't he? The man took a step forward and to Nyssa's surprise, smiled.

"al'asad" She greeted

"Hey Nys, you know you can call me Mason now" the man smiled taking another step forward "The league is disbanded"

"Apologies" Nyssa smiled also taking a step forward "What are you doing here?"

"I have no where else to go" Mason replied "Besides, you would miss me too much if I left"

" _I_ would miss you?" Nyssa smirked "I think it's the other way around"

"I don't think so, what are you doing here?"

"Like you, I have no where else to go and besides, this is my home"

"Pretty empty"

"It's unusual yes"

"So we can be roommates"

"I have not seen this side of you since you were a child" Nyssa raised her eyebrow

"That is because I was forced to grow up early. I was a free child in the village but once I came of age, I had to change, much like you"

"we have both changed a lot over the years"

"Yes, you are even more beautiful"

"You flatter me"

"I only tell the truth"

"Just so you know, I have missed you"

"Who wouldn't"

"An ego like that will not get you far"

"I like to call it being confident"

"Let's see just how confident you really are" Nyssa walked over to a rack that had several swords on it and picked two up "Here" she passed him one "Spar with me"

"I don't want to embarrass you"

"Don't flatter yourself, you are yet to bet me"

"This is true" they both raised their swords and engaged

 **~Arrow~**

 _A month later_

"It's so weird seeing it like this" Mason said as he and Nyssa walked through the village "Empty"

"The village was established to grow crops" Nyssa replied "It has served it's purpose and is no longer needed"

"So everyone just left"

"They were held prisoner by my father, enslaved, now they are free"

"I'm proud of you" he said turning to face her

"Of what?" Nyssa questioned

"Of doing something no one ever thought possible, disbanding the league"

"I had a change of heart on how things were run. A few friends had help me realise that I was slowly becoming my father"

"and you didn't want that"

"I did, I wanted to be heir, but it's funny how someone can influence your life so much" suddenly Nyssa's phone wrung and she reached into her pocket to dig it out

"How the hell do you have service?" he questioned but she didn't answer

"hello" she said

 _"Nyssa? It's Oliver"_ Oliver replied

"Oliver? What do you need?" Nyssa looked towards Mason who just shrugged his shoulders.

 _"Something happened with Damien Darhk"_

"What do you mean"

 _"It's Laurel"_

"What about her"

 _"Sh-She's gone"_

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

 _"Darhk had orchestrated a prison riot a-and we went to stop it. Andy turn on us and gave Darhk the missing piece of his idol, giving him his magic back. We fought but Lau-Laurel, she was..."_

"She was what?" Oliver could hear her voice break

 _"She was stabbed, they managed to have her stable but then she seized an-and..."_

"Oliver..."

 _"I'm so sorry"_

"Wh-When is..." Nyssa could finish her sentence but Oliver knew what she meant

 _"A few days"_

"I will be on the earliest flight over"

 _"I will see you soon then"_

"Oliver..."

 _"Yes?"_

"Thank you"

 _"Of course, you were her friend"_ with that he hung up.

"What happened?" Mason questioned seeing Nyssa's eyes fill with tears

"It's Laurel sh-she, she's gone"

"Oh Nyssa" Mason reached forward and brought Nyssa into his chest allowing her to to cry into his chest.

 **~Arrow~**

"Your back, early" Mason greeted when Nyssa exited the plane "How was your flight?"

"Long" She replied walking towards him

"I can tell" he smirked

"Hey!" she laughed punching him arm

"Only kidding, you look as beautiful as when I saw you last"

"That was a few days ago"

"Exactly"

"Your going to get yourself into trouble" She smirked as they started walking back towards Nanda Parbat

"I'll take the risk"

"Of course you would"

"Do you want to talk about it?" He questioned

"There is nothing to talk about, the funeral was beautiful" she replied "We all said a few words, I mostly stayed back allowing everyone to grieve, I'd rather it wasn't brought up"

"Of course"

"So what are you cooking for dinner"

"Caponata"

"Your favorite"

"Hey, I didn't know you were going to be back early"

"It's fine" she replied "I'm going to head to my quarters"

"and I'll start dinner" they both nodded and walked off in different directions

 _30 minutes later_

Mason noted that Nyssa was taking a long time in her quarters so he started walking towards her room. When he reached the door he knocked on it but found no answer. He gently opened the door and looked around, at first he couldn't see her but then he looked over in the corner to see Nyssa curled up in a ball crying to herself. He instantly ran over and knelt down in front of her. He pried her hands away from her face and pulled her into his arms allowing her to wrap herself around him.

"She's gone" Nyssa sobbed as she clutched his chest

"I know" he replied gently rubbing circles on her back.

"I'm happy that your here" She whispered just loud enough for him to hear

"Of course, I would never leave you" Nyssa pulled back and wiped her face before looking into his eyes.

"Really?"

"I could never leave and I will never leave you" Nyssa's eyes darted from his lips back to his eyes and back to his lips. She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his warm lips. At first he was surprised but gradually eased into it. Suddenly he pulled back

"Are you sure?" he questioned

"you talk to much" she leaned back in but this time the kiss was more heated. While they kissed Nyssa gently maneuvered him back and straddled him.

 **~Arrow~**

 _2 months later_

"Your right side block is slow" Nyssa smirked as she parred against him.

"As you have told me before" He grunted as he stepped back to avoid a blow to the stomach.

"Well maybe..." Nyssa used her bo staff and swept him off his feet sending him tumbling to the ground "You should pick up on it" she then held out her hand which he took and she pulled up him.

"Thanks" he said dusting himself off

"I was thinking..."

"That's dangerous"

"I was thinking that since we are becoming more...serious"

"You kicked me out last night"

"You hid my favorite knife"

"It was a joke"

"Never touch my knife"

"yes, well I have learned my lesson"

"Anyway, I was thinking that we should move"

"Move? Where?"

"Somewhere, I can't spend the rest of my life isolated and I want to spend my life with you"

"Well, where would we move?" he asked wrapping his arms around her waist

"Anywhere. The league was very wealthy and since I was the last Ra's..."

"The wealth went to you"

"Yes"

"What about Hawaii"

"That's a little cliche"

"Budapest"

"Hmmmmm, what about Paris"

"Paris is the city of love"

"I can't think of a better place to spend my life with you" she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss

"So, we're going to Paris"

"We are going to Paris"

 **~Arrow~**

They've been in Paris for just over 3 months now. Nyssa had gotten a job as a waitress at a small cafe and Mason was working as an electrician. With the money from the league they had bought an amazing penthouse that was just across from the eiffel tower. Nyssa had been sent home early from work when she started to feel unwell, she had been feeling this way for a few days now and was doing a good job of hiding it. The thing was that Nyssa never got sick, ever, so when she started feeling this way she knew something was wrong.

After a visit from the doctor Nyssa returned home and was now just watching TV until Mason returned home. After a few hours reading and watching TV she heard the front door open and turned to see Mason walk in. She instantly bounced from the couch and walked over to him, first allowing him to put his work gear down before bringing him into a hug

"Hello beautiful" he said giving her a kiss

"I'm happy you're home" she smiled up at him, her arms still around his shoulders.

"Did you go to the doctors?" he questioned

"I did"

"and is everything alright?"

"Better than alright" She grinned

"Well, are you going to tell me or..."

"Come sit" she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him over to the couch

"Can you tell me now"

"yes, you are so impatient"

" _I'm_ Impatient" he laughed

"Okay, we are both a little Impatient"

"Better, now tell me"

"I-I'm pregnant"

"Your what?"

"I'm preg..."

"No, I heard you. Really?"

"'The doctor confirmed it this morning" she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a picture of an ultra sound and handed it to him.

"How many weeks?"

"6 weeks"

"Wow..."

"Are you happy?"

"yes, I'm more than happy!" he leaned over and brought her into a loving kiss "We're gonna be parents"

"we are"

"We're gonna have a baby"

"We are"

"I love you" Nyssa grinned and kissed him again

"I love you too" she smiled as she pulled back

 **~Arrow~**

 _4 months later_

4 months ago she found out she was pregnant, her belly hadn't grown as much as she thought it would but still enough for her to identify as pregnant. She was starting to take less and less shifts at work giving her enough time to start planning for the baby. Since their penthouse has 4 bedrooms it was easy enough to pick out the bedroom. Although they couldn't start decorating until they found out the sex of the baby, which is what they were doing now.

"When is the doctor going to get here?" Mason questioned

"We were just shown in, now whose the impatient one" Nyssa grinned

"I'm just excited okay" he replied

"yeah, I know" she reached across and grabbed his hand, Suddenly they both turned towards the door when it opened and the doctor walked in.

"Hello" the older woman greeted "My names Dr. Morgan"

"hi" Nyssa smiled

"Are you going to be finding out the sex today?" She questioned as she set up the machine

"Hopefully" Mason replied exitedly

"This might be cold" she warned as she lifted Nyssa's shirt up and placed the gel on it. After that was finished she grabbed the machine and started rubbing circles around her belly. Within a few seconds she was able to locate the baby.

"So..." Mason tried impatiently

"Mason" Nyssa hissed

"It's fine" Dr. Morgan smiled as she looked up at the machine "It's a girl"

"A girl" Mason's face broke out into the most genuine smile Nyssa had ever seen as he kissed her forehead.

"A healthy baby girl" Dr. Morgan said as she started putting away the machine. She reached over and grabbed a cloth and wiped the gel from Nyssa's belly before pulling her shirt back down "I'll give you two a minute" with that she walked out

"Now we know what color we can decorate the room" Mason grinned

"Yeah, red" Nyssa replied

"Red?"

"What? Red was my favorite color as a child"

"Red and black were the only colors you knew"

"What's your point, it's a good color"

"Why not pink"

"Don't you dare think about painting our daughters room pink"

"Why not? I think it's cute"

"What about purple"

"Purple?"

"Yeah, It's pretty close to pink and it's darker like red"

"Yeah, Purple is a nice color"

"Good, because you didn't really have a choice" she grinned as she leaned up and kissed hiim

 **~Arrow~**

 _3 months later_

Nyssa closed her eyes as she allowed the hot water to run down her body. She was currently 7 months pregnant and she was feeling the weight of it. Every day it was harder and harder to move, even to do simple tasks but she was getting through it. She didn't turn when she heard the bathroom door opened, already knowing who it was because of their footsteps. She heard the sound of clothes hitting the floor and the shower door opening. She smiled when she felt Mason wrapped his arms around her from behind. She turned when his hands trailed down to her stomach and he lent down to the shower floor. Running her fingers through his dark locks as she felt him placing small kisses all over her belly.

"I love it when you do that" she smiled

"Do what?" he questioned looking up at her

"Treat us as if we are the only thing in the world that matters"

"To me" he stood up and brought her into a kiss "You are, you are my everything, I would be nothing without you"

"I love you"

"I love you more"

 _2 months later_

Any day now, any day and their little girl will be born. Mason was currently at work while Nyssa was at home folding some baby clothes and putting them in draws. They had painted the babies room white and had the largest wall a dark purple. They hard a beautiful hand carved wooden crib and accessories to match. They had a small baby shower a couple of weeks ago with some friends from work and neighbors. It was only small but it was the world to Nyssa. If she was to fall pregnant during the league they would have just put her on bed rest until the child was born and when that happened she would be back on missions and letting the doctors care for the child. She was glad that this was not the case.

She turned around and went to grab another piece of clothing when she felt a a sharp pain in her stomach. Closing her eyes she pushed through the pain until it finally stopped. When she reopened her eyes she looked down and her mouth fell open, there was a large puddle of water beneath her. She dropped the clothes and rushed into the kitchen where her phone was. She instantly grabbed it and called Mason

"Come on pick up, pick up" she tried as she paced the kitchen and within a few rings he picked up

"Nyssa? I'm at work can I call yo-" he tried but she cut him off

"Mason! I need you here now!" she panicked

"What? Why? what's wrong?"

"The bab-ahahhh" she clenched her eyes and she felt a contraction

"Nyssa, what's wrong" Mason panicked but she didn't answer "Nyssa!"

"I-I need you to take me to the hospital" she stuttered

"Wha-why?"

"my water broke"

"I'm on my way" with that he hung up and Nyssa leaned against the counter. About 30 minutes later the front door swung open and Mason ran in.

"Finally" Nyssa said breathlessly

"Are you okay?" he questioned laying a hand on her back

"Does it look like I'm okay!" she groaned

"I brought the car around to the front" He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her stand "Let's go" Nyssa nodded and he helped her out the front door and into the car as they drove to the hospital.

 **~Arrow~**

"Someone help please" Mason called as he and Nyssa walked into the hospital "She's in labor!"

"Follow me" one of the nurses stood and they followed her to a room "Who is your doctor"

"Dr. Morgan" he replied as he helped Nyssa lay on a bed

"I'll go grab her" the nurse rushed off.

"It hurts" Nyssa tried

"I know baby" he replied kissing her forehead "But you can do this" she nodded at him and within a few minutes the doctor entered.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor questioned

"Like someone used my belly as a punching bag" Nyssa replied

"Help me take her pants off" Mason nodded and helped pull her pants off. The doctor walked around to Nyssa's front "She's only in early labor 3 centimeters dilated" Suddenly Nyssa closed her eyes as another contraction hit

"How long was that one?" The doctor questioned

"About 29 seconds" a nurse replied

"What's your pain scale"

"Probably a 3" Nyssa breathed

"That's good, she's a tough cookie" the nurse smiled as he walked around to a bench and grabbed a patient dress. "Help her into this" she handed the dress to Mason who nodded.

 _3 hours later_

"Can you get me a drink?" Nyssa asked turning to face her boyfriend

"Of course" he quickly stood and walked out the door. About 2 minutes later he walked back in with a white plastic cup full of water and handed it to her.

"Thank you" she took a large sip of the water before putting it down on the table next to her

"Can I get you anything else?"

"Not yet beloved" she replied "I'm quite tired"

"Try and get some rest, you need all your energy"

"You're right" she yawned and closed her eyes

 _6 hours later_

"You need to eat" Nyssa tried

"and I will but you just had another contraction and I don't want to leave you" Mason replied and looked towards the door when it opened and Dr. Morgan walked in and a nurse.

"have you been timing the contractions" she questioned

"Yeah, they are getting longer and worse" Mason replied

"You are progressing well" she walked over to the front of Nyssa "You are 5 centimeters dilated"

"Active labor" the nurse added

"Which is why the contractions are becoming longer and getting worse"

"How long?" Mason questioned

"Well, active labor tends to last for about 3-5 hours, then we get into the transition phase"

"See beloved" Nyssa said "Now will you please go grab something to eat"

"I don't want to leave you alone" he replied

"The nurse will be with me"

"She's right, I will stay" the nurse replied

"Please" Nyssa frowned

"Fine" he leaned up and kissed her forehead "I will bring you something back"

"Thank you" with that he left

 _4 hours later_

"Ahhhhh" Nyssa groaned as she learched forward and squeezed Mason's hand. After about 50 seconds she let out a breath and leaned back

"Pain?" Dr. Morgan questioned

"7" Nyssa breathed and the doctor walked around to check her again

"9 centimeters dilated" she said "Not long now, I'd give it an hour"

"Okay thank you" Mason replied as he watched the doctor leave

 _1 hour later_

"It's been an hour can she get in here!" Nyssa angrily whispered as she turned towards Mason. As if on cue the doctor walked in followed by a few midwife's.

"Let's see if she's ready" Dr. Morgan walked around and checked Nyssa once again "10 centimeters dilated, we can start"

"Can I push?!" Nyssa tried as she groaned and was over come with another contraction, this time is lasted just over a minute

"Pain?"

"9, maybe a 10, I don't know, can we just speed this along" Nyssa groaned

"Okay" the doctor put on her gloves and pushed her legs apart "I need you to push"

 _35 minutes later_

"Come one, one last push" Dr. Morgan tried

"I-I can't" Nyssa choked

"You can do it" She tried but Nyssa wasn't listening

"habibata (my love)" Mason tried and the Arabic got her attention "hayaa habibati dufeatan wahidat faqat , yumkinuk 'an tafeal dhlk (Come on baby just one more push, you can do it)" Nyssa nodded and gave another large push. Suddenly there was the sound of a baby crying and Nyssa gave a sigh of relief. Within a few seconds they had wrapped the baby up in a blanket and handed her over to Nyssa.

"hi" Nyssa cooed "I'm your mommy" Mason leaning down and kissed Nyssa on the forehead who led out a silent sign "and this is your daddy, we are going to protect you no matter what"

"She's beautiful" Dr. Morgan smiled

"That's because she looks just like her mom" Mason replied as he smiled down at his family

"What's her name?" A midwife asked

"Amina" Nyssa smiled

 **~Arrow~**

 _4 months later_

Balancing all the grocery bags in her arms Nyssa stepped forward and unlocked the house. After using her foot to shut the door she placed all the bags onto the bench.

"Mason?" she called out but got no reply. She walked into the lounge room expecting to see him there but he wasn't. She started walking towards their daughters bedroom and opened the door to see him and Amina lying on the floor. Amina was blessed with her fathers dark and silky hair but like Nyssa, she had angelic features such as captivating dark eyes and her face had a few freckles.

"Peek a boo" Mason said uncovering his face causing Amina too break out into a fit of giggles. Her laughter warmed Nyssa's heart. She stood there for a few minutes just watching them interact, doing the same thing over and over.

"Your home" Mason smiled as he stood up and walked over to her

"I thought I put her down for a nap before I left?"

"She didn't want to sleep"

"She didn't want to sleep or you wanted to play?"

"It was all her idea"

"Well, she, need's to get some rest" Nyssa walked passed him and leaned down to pick up her daughter who snuggled into her mothers chest "See, she's tired"

"Fine, I'm going to go unpack the groceries" he huffed and walked out of the room. Nyssa smiled and placed a kiss on her daughters head before walking over to her crib. She gently placed the little girl who instantly started to fuss when she was down.

"Shhhhh" Nyssa cooed as she grabbed a pacifier and put it in her child's mouth all while rubbing her stomach. Amina was still being fussy so Nyssa started to hum before she started to sing the lullaby her mother sung to her when she was a child **(Lavenders blue)**

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,  
Lavender's green  
When you are king, dilly dilly,  
I shall be queen

Who told you so, dilly dilly,  
Who told you so?  
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,  
That told me so

Call up your friends, dilly, dilly  
Set them to work  
Some to the plough, dilly dilly,  
Some to the fork

Some to the hay, dilly dilly,  
Some to thresh corn  
Whilst you and I, dilly dilly,  
Keep ourselves warm

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,  
Lavender's green  
When you are king, dilly dilly,  
I shall be queen

Who told you so, dilly dilly,  
Who told you so?  
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,  
That told me so.

When the song came to and end Amina had already fallen fast asleep.

"I love when you sing" Mason whispered as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It is calming for the both of us" Nyssa smiled as she turned and gave him a warm kiss

 **~Arrow~**

 _1 month later_

"Say mama" Nyssa cooed as she bounced Amina on her leg

"Say dada" Mason tried as he shook a maraca in front of her.

"Mama"

"Dada" but Amina's only response was to spit up the milk she just received "I'll get a cloth" Nyssa stood and passed their daughter into Mason's arms. She quickly stood and walked over to to the cupboard, pulling out a small cloth. On her way back she stopped when she heard her phone vibrating on the table. When she looked at it she saw she had 2 missed calls from Oliver. Before she called him again she walked over to Mason and handed him the cloth allowing him to clean Amina up.

"I won't be a sec" Nyssa said and Mason nodded before she headed out of the room and called Oliver again

 _"Oh, finally Nyssa"_ Oliver breathed

"What wrong?" Nyssa questioned

 _"You know how we have been trying to take down Prometheus?"_

"Yes" this was a reason that Nyssa hadn't told the team about Amina or Mason because she didn't want them to be in danger. Oliver was prone to danger and she didn't want to bring her family into it.

 _"Well he had taken the team,my son and his mother hostage"_ Nyssa wouldn't know what to do with herself if Amina was taken so she had already made up her mind on what she was going to do.

"I should be there in about 1 day" Nyssa replied

 _"Where are you?"_

"Paris"

 _"That makes sense, one more thing"_

"What?"

 _"Malcolm is here"_

"Really Oliver?"

 _"I know, he just showed up, he's here to save Thea"_ another person trying to save their child

"He won't want to work with me"

 _"He doesn't have a choice, I trust you more than I trust him"_

"As I said, I will be there as soon at I can"

 _"Thank you Nyssa"_

"Of course, family is important" with that she hung up and made her way back to her family "I need to return to Star City"

"What? Why?" Mason questioned urgently

"Oliver's team and his son have been kidnapped, he need's my help"

"so your just leaving?"

"Mason, he saved my life when I was supposed to fight Malcolm, it's the least I can do. Trust me on this"

"Always"

"I should be back in a few days"

"Promise"

"Promise" she gave him a quick kiss before heading upstairs to book a plane ticket and start packing

 **~Arrow~**

Nyssa walked across the tarmac and away from the plane she just excited. She was returning from a successful rescue in Star City, except for William's mother and Thea's coma. Apart from that the Nyssa had left the team on good terms and said she was welcome back whenever she needed them. As she walked towards the entrance she could see in the distance Mason holding Amina and waving her little hand so she started to pick up the pace. Once she reached them Mason brought her in for a side hug and kiss due to the fact that Amina was there.

"Hi" Nyssa grinned

"Hey" Mason replied as he watched Nyssa hold her arms out so he passed Amina to her

"How was my beautiful girl?" Nyssa questioned as she blew raspberries on her daughters cheek.

"She was an angel" Mason grinned "But she really missed her mommy"

"I missed her to" Nyssa smiled "I missed both of you"

 **~Arrow~**

 _2 weeks later_

Nyssa was laying on the ground in front of her daughter who was chewing on a teething toy.

"Come on Amina" Nyssa encouraged "Say Mama" Amina just gurgled in reply "Fine, I'll get you a bottle" Nyssa went to get up

"mama" Amina squealed stopping Nyssa

"Oh my god" Nyssa almost yelled "Mason! get here now!" suddenly Mason came flying across the corner

"Wh-What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly

"Come on Baby, say it" Nyssa tried

"Mama" Amina said

"Oh my god" Mason grinned as he came and sat next to the two

"She said my name first" Nyssa grinned

"I didn't know this was a competition?"

"oh didn't I tell you" Nyssa smirked

"Dada" they both turned towards Amina who spoke again

"Ha!" Mason teased

"She still said mine first"

"Yeah yeah, we get it, you're her favorite"

"Of course I am" Nyssa smiled as she picked up Amina "I'm everyone's favorite"

 **~Arrow~**

 _4 months later_

Mason was relaxing on the couch while watching Amina play with her toys on the floor. Suddenly Amina got into a crouching position and pulled herself up so she was standing.

"Nyssa!" Mason called out as he sat up, they had, had a few false alarms before.

"Yes?" Nyssa questioned but stopped when she saw what her daughter was doing. Nyssa instantly lowered herself onto her knees and held out her arms.

"Come here baby" Nyssa encouraged and grinned widely when she stood one step

"Come on" Mason tried as he knelt down next to Nyssa and pulled out his camera and started recording "You can do it" Amina took another step and another until eventually she landed herself in her mothers arms.

"You did it!" Nyssa cooed "My baby did it!"

"High five princess" Mason lent down and his daughter gave him a half-ass high five.

 **~Arrow~**

 _2 months and 2 weeks later_

"She can't be" Nyssa tried as she looked down at her sleeping daughter

"Well she is" Mason replied

"Time has passed so fast"

"Our baby is finally 1"

"But she is still so small" they both looked down when they heard her start to wake up and when she opened her eyes she smiled brightly at them.

"Happy Birthday sweetie" Nyssa smiled rubbing her belly

"Mama" Amina yawned

They had spent the rest of the day celebrating together as a family. Of course Amina didn't know what was going on but Nyssa and Mason had invited over a few of the neighbors for a small party.

"I can't believe how much she has grown" Amanda, the neighbor cooed.

"It feels like she was only born yesterday" Nyssa replied

"And look at you, you look like you've never even had a kid"

"Must be genetics"

"Please, I see you head of to the gym almost every morning"

"The gym is just my life away from home, you have to get away every once in a while, even if it kills me"

"Say that in a few years when they are trying to scab every last penny off you" Amanda laughed

 **~Arrow~**

 _5 months later_

"Have you heard anything?" Mason asked as he walking into the living room to find Nyssa sitting on the floor exaimining paper's in front of her.

"Not since Taliabah informed me of the newly formed group that is trying to bring back the league together" She replied without looking up

"What were they called again?"

"The Thanatos guilt, Malcolm's little loyalists. They haven't made a move yet but Talibah has been keeping watch on their hideout. It's only a matter of time"

 **~Arrow**

 _1 week later_

Nyssa was in the kitchen making lunch when she heard her phone rung. After dusting her hands off Nyssa picked up her phone to see it was Talibah

"what do you have?" Nyssa questioned

"A way I can get you in, 3 days time, they are holding a large meeting" Talibah replied

"Are they planning an attack?"

"I believe so"

"Send me your coordinates, this will end"

"Of course" with that Nyssa hung up. She finished making lunch and walked into the lounge room where Mason and Amina were playing.

"Who was that?" Mason asked after hearing her on the phone

"It's was Talibah, she has news" Nyssa replied

"What is it?"

"The guild is holding a meeting in 3 days time, Talibah believes they are planning an attack on Thea"

"and you need to go"

"I do"

"Let me come with"

"No, this is my burden, I need to right the wrongs of my father, besides I need you here with Amina in case...something is to go wrong"

"Hey, don't think I like that"

"It is possible"

"Hey" he reached forward and grabbed her hands "You are going to stop this guild and then you are going to come back home"

"Then I must get going, the plane ticket is not going to buy itself"

"When will you be leaving"

"Hopefully tonight, it will give Talibah and I time to plan"

"Then you take them down baby" Mason grinned

 **~Arrow~**

After obtaining the map, with Athena and the other assassins fled and Nyssa was now in the bunker. She knew what she had to do, she knew she had to destroy the 3 remaining Lazarus pits. Her heart broke when she realized that she would have to be away from Mason and Amina for a little while, but this was her legacy. After stepping away from the team she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She clicked on Mason's contact and dialed his number and within a few rings he picked up.

"Hey" He greeted

"Hello beloved" she smiled

"Is everything okay?"

"We got the map, and Athena fled"

"So your coming home then?"

"Not exactly"

"What? Why?"

"On the map it showed 3 different intersections"

"Of what?"

"Malcolm discovered the existence of 3 Lazarus pits"

"and what?"

"They are dangerous if fallen into the wrong hands"

"So your planning on destroying them"

"It is my legacy"

"I understand"

"I hate to leave you both on just short notice"

"Nyssa, as long as you promise to come home. I understand, this is something you need to do, to help rid evil from the world"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't apologize, just promise"

"I promise"

"Well I'll let...Amina don't put that in your mouth!" Nyssa heard some shuffling on the other side of the line.

"Can you put her on the phone?" Nyssa questioned

"I'll put you on speaker or she will try to eat my phone" Nyssa heard the sound of a beep signally she was on speaker "There you go"

"hi baby" Nyssa cooed into the phone

"Mama?" Amina questioned

"Yeah, it's mama" Nyssa smiled sadly

"Where?" Amina babbled and Nyssa could hear a thump

"Sorry" Mason laughed "She hit the phone"

"Silly girl" Nyssa smiled and she could feel her eyes welling up with tears

"Can you say bye mama" Mason tried

"Mama" Amina giggled "Bye" Nyssa let out a small laugh at her little girls antics

"Mommy loves you" Nyssa said, her voice breaking as she felt a tear roll down her face.

"I love you too mommy" Mason said making his voice higher causing Amina to giggle.

"I should head off now" Nyssa said

"Make sure you call"

"I promise, Bye sweetie"

"bye Mama" Amina replied tapping the phone with her hand

"Bye" Nyssa whispered before she pulled the phone from her ear and held it close to her chest

"Nyssa are you ready?" Came a voice behind her and she turned to see Thea "Hey, are you okay?" Nyssa's hand shot to her face and she wiped away the tear

"I am fine" she replied

"Are you sure, you've been crying" Thea took a step towards her

"Thea, I appreciate your concern but there is nothing you can do, therefore I am fine" Nyssa pushed passed Thea and walked into the main part of the foundry. After she had gathered her things she, Roy and Thea started walking out of the foundry (+ Oliver who was seeing them go). With their goodbyes Nyssa was about to enter the car Oliver held her back

"Are you alright?" he questioned

"Why wouldn't I be?" She replied

"When we were leaving, you looked like you'd been crying"

"Nothing to concern yourself with"

"Nyssa your my friend, if your upset..."

"Oliver, please do not push this further"

"Well you will call when you need anything?"

"I will"

"Safe travels"

"be well Oliver" with that she stepped into the drivers seat of the car.

 **~Arrow~**

 _2 weeks later_

Nyssa out of the shower and over to her night stand to see a missed call from Mason. She saw that he left a voicemail so she started listening to it.

 _Hey baby, hope everything is going well. Amina and I miss you like crazy, I'm so glad you left that voice recording of you singing or I would never get her to sleep. Anyway call me back when you get the chance, love you._

Nyssa smiled down at her phone before face timing him

"hey" he greeted

"hey" Nyssa smiled

"How is everything going?" Mason asked when he answered

"We have successfully destroyed the first pit" Nyssa replied "We are flying out to where the second is located in the morning"

"Well, be safe and don't get into too much trouble" Mason smirked

"I think you are mistaking me for yourself" Nyssa grinned

"Depends on the day" he replied "Anyway, Amina should be waking from her nap any time now"

"Then I should let you go"

"Unless you want to say hi to Amina"

"It's okay, she will be to tired to talk and besides, it's a little past 12 am here"

"Well then you should get some rest"

"Love you"

"Love you too" with that Nyssa hung up. She placed her phone on the nightstand of the hotel that they were staying at and started getting into bed

 _4 weeks later_

 _"Are you almost here"_ Mason texted Nyssa as soon as she landed.

 _"Just a few more minutes"_ Nyssa replied. The plane pulled in and they started opening the doors. After gathering her overhead luggage she stepped out of the plan and walked down the tarmac. As soon as she entered she saw Mason standing there with Amina standing next to him. Suddenly Amina started clumsily running over to her and into her arms.

"Mommy missed you so much" Nyssa said as she scooped Amina into her arms and clutched her to her chest.

"Mama" Amina giggled as she played with her hair "Love"

"You're picking up new words" Nyssa smiled "aren't you a clever girl"

"She has been picking up a lot of words lately" Mason said as he walked over to them

"Hello my love" Nyssa smiled as he leaned down and gave her a kiss

"Welcome home, Where are Thea and Roy"

"Well after we destroyed all the pits, they returned to Star City to settle down. They said we can visit at any time"

"Do you want to visit, tell them about all this"

"The team is too unpredictable, I don't want to risk Amina getting in the crossfire"

"That makes sense"

"Maybe when she's older"

"We should get home, it's late"

"Let's go" they all started walking out of the airport and towards their car. It took about an hour to get home and when they arrived Nyssa looked in the back seat to find Amina sleeping. It was quite late at night so when Nyssa excited the car she walk round the back and gently open the door. She undid Amina's buckles and lightly picked her up. Mason had already opened the door for her when they arrived so all she had to do was walk straight in and into Amina's bedroom. When she arrived she gently pulled her blankets back before laying her down. After making sure she was completely asleep Nyssa snuck out of the room and went into the lounge room where Mason was laying on the couch

"Hey" Mason grinned as she walked around the front of the couch.

"Hey" Nyssa sat down next to him and naturally just fell into his arms

"Tired?"

"Exhausted"

"Well you've done quite a lot of travelling these last few weeks"

"Hopefully I'm done"

"Athena and her assassins are still out there. They probably know you destroyed the pits, they could come from you"

"They don't know where we are but they somehow find out and attack, I want you to take Amina and run"

"Nyssa..."

"Please"

"She needs her mother"

"She needs to be kept safe"

"Well then you run with her, I can still fight"

"This is my burden..."

"You burdens are my burdens, she will need her mother"

"She needs her father"

"She will need you far more than she will need me"

"I'm too tired to have this conversation, we can discuss this another time"

"of course" he leaned down and kissed her forehead as she snuggled into him further

 **~Arrow~**

 _2 months later_

"Puppy" Amina squealed as she watched the TV

"Isn't he cute" Nyssa smiled as she held onto Amina's hands while she danced to the music.

"Puppy, puppy"

"You want a puppy?"

"Puppy!" Amina giggled

"I'll think about it"

"How is my little angel" Mason asked as he started walking towards them holding a baby bag

"What is that for?" Nyssa questioned nodding towards the bag

"Well Amina is going to be spending the night with Amanda"

"What? Why?"

"Well, I have something special planned for us tonight"

"Do you?"

"Yes, and It's a little hard when looking after Amina"

"You could have at least told me before"

"well, surprise" suddenly there was a knock on the door "That must be Amanda" Mason got up and walked out of the room. She could hear the sounds of someone talking and about 30 seconds later Mason and Amanda walked into the room.

"Good afternoon" Nyssa smiled

"Afternoon" Amanda replied and her face lit up when she looked down at Amina "Hello Princess"

"Ada" Amina giggled. Nyssa stood up and picked Amina up before walking over to them.

"Is she ready" Amanda questioned

"Uh yes" Mason held up her bag "She has everything she needs for the night in here" he handed the bag to Amanda who hung it over her shoulder

"You'll be good for Ada won't you" Nyssa said looking over her daughter

"Yeah" Amina repllied "Ada had dinosaurs"

"I have spare toys from when my kids were little" Amanda explained "She will be entertained for the entire night"

"Thank you so much for this" Mason tried

"You don't need to thank me, it's my pleasure" Nyssa smiled as she handed Amina over to their neighbor. They all started walking towards the door and Mason opened it allowing Amanda to step out.

"You two have fun tonight" Amanda winked before she left

"Oh, we will" Mason smirked "How about you go for a shower and I will get ready"

"What are you planning?" Nyssa raised her eyebrow

"You'll just have to wait and see"

"Fine" with that Nyssa started heading towards the bathroom

 _30 minutes later_

Nyssa walked out of the bathroom wearing a black flowing dress and hey hair was in it's natural curl. Hey eyes widened when she saw the rose petal's that made a trail around the corner. She smiled as she started following them until she reached the beautiful lit dining room. There a a beautiful candle placed in the center of the table, a circle of rose petals around the table and Mason was standing there in a suit and tie.

"Well don't you look handsome" Nyssa smiled as she walked over to him

"And you look absolutely stunning" he walked over to her and grabbed her hands.

"Thank you" He led her over to the table and pulled out her chair so she could sit down.

"Champagne?"

"of course" he poured her a glass before sitting down himself "What has gotten into you"

"What do you mean?"

"The fancy lights, the rose petals, I-I don't know what to say"

"You know I love you right"

"I know"

"and I would do absolutely anything for you"

"Mason..."

"There is something that I've been wanting to as you for a while, but I wanted it to be perfect" He stood up and reached into his pocket before going down on one knee. He pulled out a black box and when he opened it there was a beautiful diamond ring "I want to spend the rest of my life with you and make you the happiest woman on the planet, so will you do the honour of marrying me"

"Yes...yes, yes!" Nyssa laughed as she walked around and brought him into a warm kiss. When they pulled apart Mason placed the ring on her finger and they kissed again

"I love you so much"

"and I you"

 **~Arrow~**

 _2 months later_

Nyssa was making breakfast when she heard a large bang coming from inside Amina's room. She watched as her fiance perked his head up from the couch, they both dropped what they were doing and ran into her room. When they arrived they saw the window was wide open and an assassin was standing of Amina's crib.

"Al Ghul" the assassin mocked "Athena want's your head"

"Get away from my daughter" Nyssa warned as she produced a knife from her boot

"You destroyed the most sacred thing to the league" he replied "Now we must destroy what is sacred to you" he raised his knife towards Amina but before he could do anything Nyssa threw her knife into his wrist rendering him useless. Nyssa step forward and kicked the man in the gut, she grabbed the knife from his wrist and plunged it into his heart.

"Nyssa..." Mason warned and they both heard noise coming from down stairs. Nyssa nodded and ran out of the room, she ran into their room and pulled out two swords. She ran back into Amina's room and handed them both to Mason while she grabbed Amina from her crib. Nyssa held Amina in one arm while she held her knife in the other. They ran down stairs to see over 5 assassins in their living room.

"Take Amina and Go" Mason tried as he held the two swords in front of him

"I'm not going to leave you" Nyssa cried

"You have to, take Amina to Star City, they will protect you there"

"Come back to me" Mason didn't say anything as he couldn't quite promise that, that would be the outcome so he just nodded. Nyssa leaned forward and brought him into a forceful warm kiss.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

"and I love you princess" Mason smiled as he turned to his daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead "Now go!" Nyssa nodded and ran in the other direction towards the back door. She was about to exit but an assassin jumped in front of her.

"Daughter of the demon" he warned as he lunged at her. Nyssa expertly avoided the attack even as Amina started crying. She grabbed her knife and threw it as it planted itself in his chest and he fell to the ground lifeless. Nyssa ran out the back and around the corner until she reached the front, she quickly strapped Amina in the car before she opened the door to get in herself. Suddenly she heard a yell followed by someone yelling orders. Nyssa heart sunk as she knew who the yell at come from, and if they were already taking order's it could only mean the worst. Nyssa broke from her trance when Amina's crying became louder. She quickly wiped the tears she didn't know had fallen and got into the car before speeding off.

When the assassin's ran outside they came to a stop to see the car and Nyssa gone. One of them pulled out a burner phone and dialled a number.

"Is it done?" the person on the other line asked when they picked up

"The daughter of the demon and their daughter got away" the other assassin replied

"Where are the heading"

"Star City"

"We have loyalist in the city already, they will not make it far. You have done well"

"Thank you, Athena"

 **~Arrow~**

Nyssa got on the fastest flight she was able to book to Star City. Amina had never been on a plane before and Nyssa was finding it quite difficult to stop her from fussing. Nyssa pulled out and dialed a number.

"Pick up, pick up" she tried but it went to voice mail _"Mason please be okay, call me back if you get this, I need you"_ Nyssa pulled the phone away from her ear and sat back in her chair.

Nyssa had spent the remainder of the flight watching Amina sleep while running her hand through her hair. She couldn't take her mind off if Mason was alright and the yell she heard just help replaying in her head over and over again. Nyssa had gently woken Amina went the plane landed and they both got off. Thank's to Diggle's contact with Lyla and ARGUS, they had taken her name off the wanted list for saving the city and the team many times.

Luckily Nyssa had rented a car so she didn't have to take a taxi to the bunker. Amina was being fussy in the back because she hadn't eaten or slept in a few hours because Nyssa didn't have time.

"Amina please stop crying" Nyssa tried, on the verge of tears herself "Here, play with this" she reached back and grabbed a maraca from her bag and shook it in front of her. With the distraction Nyssa didn't see the assassin that was standing in the middle of the road until it was too late. Nyssa looked forward just has the assassin released an arrow and his went flying through the front window, landing itself in her shoulder. Nyssa let out a groan and the car swerved, crashing into a nearby tree. Nyssa's head flew forward and hit the airbag hard enough to knock her out.

When Nyssa regained consciousness she sat up and felt a stinging in her head almost taking away the pain from her shoulder.

"Amina!" Nyssa turned around to see that the car seat was empty "No, no, no" Nyssa used a knife and cut the arrow head that made it's way completely through her shoulder. When it was gone she pulled the arrow out and jumped from the car "God damn it!" Nyssa cursed

 **~Arrow~**

"Keep up speedy" Oliver grinned as Thea ducked underneath his blow

"oh please" she laughed as she faked stepped forward and turned hitting Oliver in the side of the rib's with her staff

"That's my girl" Roy cheered

"My money is on Thea" Felicity called out

"I'm on Oliver" Dig said

"Traitor" Thea yelled as she rolled across the mat. Furthur fighting was cut off when they heard someone walking down the stairs.

"Stay here" Oliver warned as walked over. He got a look at the figure that was clutching there bleeding shoulder, had an injured leg and blood pouring down their face "Nyssa!" he rushed up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist bringing her over to a table.

"Oh my god" Felicity clasped her hand over her mouth

"What happened?" Thea panicked as she rushed over

"Th-They took her" Nyssa choked out "I-I need to ge-get her" Nyssa went to get up but only groaned in pain

"hey stop" Oliver warned "What happened?"

"Athena and her assassins, th-they attacked us" Nyssa stuttered "I-I left him, oh my god I left him, a-and then then came and they took h-her"

"Who did they take?" Dig asked

"There was enough time, I-I didn't have enough time" Nyssa rambled

"Nyssa, who did they take?" Roy tried

"Amina!" Nyssa cried "I-I have to save her, sh-she can't...she need's me"

"Who is Amina?" Thea questioned

"M-My daughter"

"Daughter? You have a daughter?" Oliver questioned

"I think we can discuss that later" Felicity tried "Where did they take her?" Nyssa explained what road they were on when they were attacked and where the car crashed. Felicity immediately got onto her computer and pulled up surveillance. It showed the assassin firing the arrow, the car crashing and other assassins grabbing Amina from the car and getting into another car before driving away

"She's hurt" Nyssa tried as she watched the footage over "I-I need to get out there"

"You're not going anywhere" Oliver replied "Not in your condition"

"She needs me"

"We will find her Nyssa, I promise" Oliver said as he turned to Felicity "Can you track the car"

"Already on it" Felicity said and within a few minutes she had binged a location "Got them, north, 10 miles from here, I will send you the address"

"Good, let's go" Oliver nodded and went to walk out with Dig, Thea and Roy

"Oliver!" Nyssa called out "Bring her back"

"I will" Oliver nodded and the team walked out

 **~Arrow~**

"Are you sure this is the location Felicity?" Oliver questioned as they pulled outside a warehouse

"Positive" she replied "bad guys love their warehouses" Felicity had helped Nyssa strip of her shirt and she had put on some shorts so Felicity could work on her shoulder.

"This is not necessary" Nyssa tried as Felicity strapped her leg

"Nyssa, you would have bled out" Felicity replied "Of course is is necessary"

"Thank you" Nyssa forced a smile

"Hey" Felicity placed her hand on Nyssa's uninjured shoulder "Everything is going to be okay, the team is going to get your daughter back and Athena is not going to win"

 _In the warehouse_

"You two go round back, Dig and I will go round front" Oliver said and the team nodded. When they entered they were instantly surrounded by several assassins.

"Mr. Queen" Athena said as she stepped out "We were expecting someone else"

"Unfortunately you put an arrow through her shoulder and crashed her car" Oliver replied "She was unable to make it"

"Not to worry, this is better" Athena pulled her sword out of its sheath.

"Where is Amina!"

"She is safe, beautiful child" she replied and turned her head and ordering one of the assassins something. The assassin walked away and returned holding a small cage that Amina was in.

"Oh my god" Dig spat "You're disgusting"

"I'm only doing what needed to be done" Athena replied "Nyssa took away something from us, it's only fair" Oliver growled as he and Dig rushed foward and engaged in the assassins. Suddenly Thea and Roy joined in on the fight.

"We took out a few that were around the back" Thea announced as she ducked under a blow. The fight lasted longer than Oliver anticipated but they had the upper hand. Athena ducked under Oliver's blow and knocked him in the face with the hilt of her sword. Oliver recovered quickly and kicked his foot out knocking her back, while she was dazed he kicked his foot out again knocking the sword from her hand. He punched his hand forward and knocked her in the throat causing her too fall to the ground. Oliver instantly raised his bow and aim an arrow at her heart.

"You messed with the wrong family" Oliver warned

"Your time will come, fate always seems to forget to write you a happy ending" Before Oliver could react Athena reached in her boot and pulled a vial and drank it. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she started foaming from her mouth, within a few seconds she was dead. Oliver picked up the vial and smelt it

"Cyanide" he announced. He looked up to see that the assassins had been taken out and he turned to Dig "call Lyla, they can't be held in a prison" Dig nodded and got on the phone

"Amina" Thea announced as she started walking towards the cage. She grabbed one of her arrows and unlocked the lock but Amina wouldn't step out "Come on sweetie, we need to get you back"

"we won't hurt you" Roy tried but Amina just shook her head

"Amina!" Nyssa's voice crackled through the comm "Someone give her a comm" Roy reacted quickly and held it up to her ear "Hey baby"

"Mama" Amina replied

"yeah, it's me princess. I need you to listen to me, I need you to trust them, can you do that for me?" Nyssa tried

"Okay" Amina simply replied

"I'll see you soon" Amina started stepping out of the cage and she walked into Thea's arms.

 **~Arrow~**

Nyssa was pacing impatiently as she waited for the team to get back. They had left the warehouse 20 minutes ago and they hadn't heard from them since. Suddenly her eyes darted towards the entrance when it opened. She looked up and saw the team enter along with Thea who was being help by Thea. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Thea put down Amina who ran straight over to her mother. Nyssa knelt down and brought her little girl into her arms who buried her head into her mothers dark curls.

"oh baby" Nyssa cried, the entire team was heart warmed at their reunion "Are you okay, did they hurt you" Nyssa pulled back and looked her daughter over

"Pretty" Amina ran her hand down her mothers face and wiped her mothers tear

"I missed you"

"Where is Dada?" this is when Nyssa felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach.

"He protected us, just like he said he would" Nyssa replied

"When is he coming home?"

"He's not baby, god said that he needed his help in heaven okay?"

"I miss him"

"Yeah, me too" Nyssa pulled her hair back and un-clipped a silver chain that was around her neck. Only then did the team see the Diamond ring that was on her ring finger, she pulled it off and placed it alone the chain "Turn around" Amina did as she was told and Nyssa clipped the chain around her neck before she turned back around "Your father gave me thing ring a few months ago. This way he will always be with you"

"Yay" Amina giggled not really understanding what was going on

"Don't lose it okay"

"I won't"

"Remember how I've been teaching you to punch"

"Yeah"

"How about you go over to that punching bag and practice, then we can show everyone" Amina vigorously nodded and ran over to the bag. Nyssa subconsciously played with her finger where her ring used to be.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation" Nyssa said as she turned to everyone else

"you don't owe us anything" Oliver replied "But it would be helpful"

"After I disbanded the league, one of the league members, Mason, stayed behind at Nanda Parbat with me. After Laurel died, h-he helped me out off a tough spot and we, fell in love. About 2 months later we moved too Paris together and about 3 months later I fell pregnant with Amina" Nyssa explained

"and you didn't tell us?"

"You have a habit of getting into trouble, I wasn't going to drag them both into it. Anyway, we lived there for about 2 years, when Amina was 20 months old Mason proposed to me and I said yes" Nyssa fought back tears but one found it's way out "Everything was was going good until 2 months later, we were attacked. Mason stayed behind to fight the assassins while I-I ran, I ran with Amina so I could get her to safety, then we flew to Star and, you know the rest"

"Oh Nyssa" Thea tried "Wh-What happened to Mason?"

"I-I heard a yell and then they started giving orders, I only assumed it meant one thing" Nyssa replied

"What are you going to do now?" Roy questioned "You can't go back there"

"I-I don't know" she admitted

"You should stay here" Oliver said "That way you are safest, we don't know if that was all of Athena's assassins"

"This place isn't somewhere I want Amina to stay"

"You can stay at mine for a bit, I'm sure William would love Amina" Nyssa's eyes softened as she looked towards him

"Thank you"

"Of course"

"Amina sweetie" Nyssa called over drawing the toddlers attention "We are going to head to Oliver's home"

"But I want to show them" she then started punching her fists in the air

"I think we can spare a few minutes" Oliver said walking over to her "Show me what you got" Amina grinned and started punching the bag


	2. Chapter 2

After leaving the bunker Oliver, Nyssa and Amina jumped into Oliver's car and started heading back to his penthouse. While Oliver sat in the front to drive both Amina and Nyssa sat in the back. Due to not having a car seat Nyssa had her arm's wrapped around her daughter while running her hand through her hair. When Oliver looked in the rear view mirror he could see Amina cuddled into her mother with her eyes closed and Nyssa was silently humming to her.

Oliver's heart broke at see Nyssa this way. The Nyssa he knew was always fierce, strong and dangerous but the woman he was looking at now looked small and vulnerable. He could tell that she was exhausted as her eye's always fluttered closed but she forced herself to stay awake. Oliver was shocked to find out that she had a daughter and a fiance, Nyssa had a completely separate life to what the team knew. Part of Olivier felt lied to and betrayed but he could see the sense in wanting to keep that life separate from the one with the team, just as Oliver had wanted the team to leave when they fought Adrian Chase.

Nyssa had changed into a spare pair of clothes courtesy of Thea who also said she would pop around in the morning to check on them. Unfortunately they didn't have any spare clothes for Amina due to her size but again Thea would come to the rescue in the morning. Nyssa let out a sigh of relief when she felt more than heard the car starting to slow down and come to a complete stop. She watched Oliver step out of the car and decided to do the same. Her head was pounding and she groaned when she felt the strain on her shoulder when she tried to get a sleeping Amina from the back seat. Oliver must have heard her when she felt his hand on her uninjured shoulder and she turned to face him.

"Let me" he whispered, Nyssa hesitantly nodded and stepped back. She watched as Oliver leaned into the back seat and scooped a still sleeping Amina into his arms. Nyssa's lips slightly upturned when she saw Amina bury her head into Oliver's shoulder.

"Thanks" she murmured and he just nodded in return. They both silently started walking towards the penthouse, she came to a sudden holt when Oliver stopped to open the door. He could see that she was very distracted and tired so he stepped away and let her enter first. He didn't take any offence when she stepped in without even sparing him a glance or saying thank you. After stepping in himself he used his foot to gently shut the door behind him making sure that it didn't slam and wake Amina.

"Dad?" called out a voice and they both turned to see William walk out of his room. Oliver put his finger to his lips and William mouthed sorry.

"Hey buddy" Oliver whispered "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I was waiting for you" he replied looking over to Nyssa "I remember you, you helped dad on the island"

"I did" Nyssa replied

"N-Nyssa right?"

"Yeah..."

"Why did you come back? Is something wrong" he then turned to Oliver "What happened? Are we in danger again? Did someone get kidnapped?" William's ranting was cut short when his father spoke

"Everything is fine, we aren't being attacked and no one got kidnapped. We will explain everything in the morning, okay?" Oliver tried "Just head back to bed"

"you promise?"

"I promise, now goodnight"

"Night" William turned his heel and walked back into his room.

"He has grown" Nyssa commented as she turned to Oliver

"Well it's almost been a year since you saw him last" Oliver lightly chuckled "Follow me" Nyssa didn't ask questions as he led her around the corner and into a large, almost empty room. Inside was a large king bed, two bedside tables, a dresser and a large tv hanging on the wall "It's not much but it's a spare bedroom, it doesn't get used that often"

"Thank you" She slightly smiled

"Of course" he walked around the bed "Do you mind?" Nyssa shook her head as she reached over and pulled the blankets back. She watched as he gently laid Amina down and wrapped the blankets around her. "Come into the kitchen, I'll grab you some water"

"Yeah" Nyssa looked back at her daughter once more before exiting the room after Oliver. When she walked into the kitchen she could already see that he was grabbing a glass from the top shelf. He walked around the fridge and pulled out a large jug of water and started pouring it into a cup befor sliding it on the bench and over to her.

"Drink plenty, we probably should have woken Amina so she could have had a drink and some food as well" Oliver said as he used his hands to lean against the bench.

"Felicity gave her some water and a half a banana at the bunker" Nyssa replied "She will be okay until morning, she is rather restless when she doesn't get enough sleep, just like Mas..." Nyssa took a swig of the water preventing her from saying anything else and keeping her mind off what she was going to say.

"Hey, how about we all get some sleep" Oliver tried

"and tomorrow I will figure out what Amina and I are going to do, I don't want to put you out"

"Nyssa, you and your daughter can stay here as long as you need"

"Thank you"

"After everything you have done to help me team and family, it's the least I could do"

"yes well, you have always kept me on my toes" they both smiled

"Night Nyssa" Oliver tried

"Goodnight Oliver" Nyssa turned her heal with her glass of water and started walking towards the spare bedroom. When she entered she saw that Amina hadn't moved so she walked over and put her glass on the bedside table before sliding into the bed next to her daughter. On instinct Amina grabbed hold of her mom's hand, wanting a physical connection with her. Nyssa placed a gentle kiss on her head before closing her eyes and managing to find sleep.

 **~Arrow~**

 _"You destroyed the most sacred thing to the league" the assassin growled "Now we must destroy what is sacred to you" he raised his knife towards Amina but before he could do anything Nyssa threw her knife into his wrist rendering him useless. Nyssa step forward and kicked the man in the gut, she grabbed the knife from his wrist and plunged it into his heart._

 _"Nyssa..." Mason warned and they both heard noise coming from down stairs. Nyssa nodded and ran out of the room, she ran into their room and pulled out two swords. She ran back into Amina's room and handed them both to Mason while she grabbed Amina from her crib. Nyssa held Amina in one arm while she held her knife in the other. They ran down stairs to see over 5 assassins in their living room._

 _"Take Amina and Go" Mason tried as he held the two swords in front of him_

 _"I'm not going to leave you" Nyssa cried_

 _"You have to, take Amina to Star City, they will protect you there"_

 _"Come back to me" Mason didn't say anything as he couldn't quite promise that, that would be the outcome so he just nodded. Nyssa leaned forward and brought him into a forceful warm kiss._

 _"I love you"_

 _"I love you too"_

 _"and I love you princess" Mason smiled as he turned to his daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead "Now go!" Nyssa nodded and ran in the other direction towards the back door._

 _Nyssa ran out the back and around the corner until she reached the front, she quickly strapped Amina in the car before she opened the door to get in herself. Suddenly she heard a yell followed by someone yelling orders. Nyssa heart sunk as she knew who the yell at come from, and if they were already taking order's it could only mean the worst. Nyssa broke from her trance when Amina's crying became louder. She quickly wiped the tears she didn't know had fallen and got into the car before speeding off._

Nyssa let out a gasp as she jerked from her sleep and her hands rushed to her face. She could feel the tears brewing and looked down at Amina who was still asleep. Nyssa looked up and blinked the tears away before she looked over at the clock and saw it was nearly 6am, usually a sleep in for Nyssa. After about 10 minutes she was unable to find sleep again so she pulled back the blankets and gently walked over to the door. When she opened the door she could see a light coming from inside the kitchen and went to investigate. She walked into the kitchen to find someone digging through the fridge, they must have heard her because they closed the fridge. Nyssa couldn't help the blush on her face when a shirtless Oliver only wearing trackpants turned to looked at her.

"You're up" he said then looked down at himself "Sorry, I'll go and get changed" while Oliver's disappeared around the corner Nyssa went and took a seat at the bar stool. Nyssa only sat there for about 30 seconds when Oliver entered back in.

"Sorry" he tried

"It's fine, it is your place"

"Yeah but I should have been more considerate. Is Amina still asleep?"

"Yeah, she should wake soon, it's unlike her to sleep in" Nyssa replied

"Would you like a coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee would be great"

"Coming right up" Nyssa watched as Oliver basically danced around the kitchen as he made them both coffee "How many sugars"

"two please" within a few minutes Oliver was handing her a plain black mug "Thank you"

"So, tell me about Amina before we get bombarded with people later on"

"What time is Thea coming?"

"She said around 7-7:30"

"Oh okay, well Amina will be two in just over a month"

"She's so small"

"Yeah, but she's quick, trust me. She was born about 5 months before you asked me to help you with the island"

"So around December or January"

"January the 7th"

"So if it's December the 8th, that's really...17 days until Christmas"

"I-I've never celebrated Christmas"

"You haven't?!"

"Oliver, do you really think the league would celebrate such things, we just used it as a strategy to catch our targets off guard"

"That's, uh, cold but cunning, what about after you disbanded it"

"Mason and I grew up in the league, we never learned of it or really wanted to do it"

"Well we are going to celebrate this year"

"Seriously?"

"Yes seriously" Nyssa turned when she heard small footsteps coming towards them. It was Amina who was rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand.

"Hello princess" Nyssa grinned as she got off her stool and walked over to her. She lean't down and gently picked the toddler up, placing her on her hip before walking back over to the stool.

"Hello" Oliver cooed at the little girl who resembled Nyssa completely. Amina flung her head to her side and looked at her mother with a confused expression.

"That's Oliver" Nyssa explained "do you remember him from last night" a smiled appeared on her face as she started throwing punches in the air, Nyssa had to move her head back to avoid getting hit.

"I guess she remembers me" Oliver laughed "she showed me her punching last night"

"Punch, punch" Amina giggled

"Can you said Oliver" Nyssa cooed "Ol-i-ver"

"Ol..." Amina tried "Ollie!"

"Oh wow" Oliver laughed and Nyssa had to stop a laugh from escaping her lips "Did you teach her that"

"No" Nyssa grinned "But I do recall her hanging around Thea for a short while last night"

"Of course it was Thea"

"What was Aunt Thea?" came a voice behind them and they turned to see William walk in.

"Hey buddy" Oliver smiled "Thea has taught Amina to call me Ollie"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well...uh...I don't...What do you guys want for breakfast" Oliver struggled

"Pancakes!" William grinned

"We had them yesterday?"

"What's your point?"

"I-I" he then turned to Nyssa "Would you like some pancakes?"

"That would be lovely"

"Guess we are having pancakes again" Oliver turned to the fridge and started gathering ingredients.

"So, can you explain to me what's going on?" William questioned looking between Nyssa and Oliver

"Right" Nyssa nodded then looked down at Amina "Hey sweetie do you want to go and play"

"I have some Toys in my room" William said "I can take her if you want"

"Thank you" Nyssa stood Amina on the ground and William held her hand out which Amina took. They were only gone for about two minutes and William returned with several action figures in his arms. He walked into the lounge room and placed them on the ground so Amina could play. With that done he walked back over to the two adults.

"That should keep her occupied" William said as he sat next to Nyssa on the other stool

"Okay, where do I start"

"Well I know you came and left with Aunt Thea and Roy to deal with the guild, but I never got to see you. What happened?"

"Well, I fell pregnant with Amina about 7 months after Laurel died with my boyfriend at the time, Mason" Nyssa took a deep breath and continued "We lived in Paris together, I left them when I came to help with the island and the guild. About two months after destroying all the puts, Mason proposed to me and I said yes. We were happy for another 2 months until we were attacked by Athena and her assassins in our home, M-Mason stayed back..."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure, I-I heard a yell and then them barking orders so I feared the worst. But I didn't have time to mourn or grieve so I headed here, where I knew that Amina could be safe. But on our way here we were in an accident, I was shot in the shoulder and the guild took Amina. Luckily, your father being, well, him saved her. That's when we ended up here"

"I'm really sorry"

"Thank you" Nyssa smiled sadly "I will need to return..."

"No" Oliver cut in "There could still be more assassins out there"

"Oliver I need answers, I-I need to know if he..." Nyssa tried

"Well, if you are to go back, I am coming with you..."

"I can't ask you to do that"

"You aren't asking, I'm offering"

"and If I refuse"

"Then I will go anyway, I've been looking for a holiday"

"What about William?"

"Raisa is here, She can look after William and Amina"

"I can't leave her"

"You aren't leaving her, you are going to find answers that could potentially changed the course of her life"

"I-I need time"

"Well we need to act fast, those assassins could have done anything..." Oliver was cut off when someone knocked on the door and he turned to William "Can you grab that" Oliver turned back towards the stove and flipped a pancake.

"Aunt Thea" William grinned when he opened the door up furthur

"Hey little buddy" Thea smiled as she shook her hand through his hair

"Hey!" He quickly ducked out from under her

"Where is your father?"

"In the kitchen" he stepped away and allowed her to enter, ensuring that he closed the door behind her.

"Hey speedy" Oliver smiled as Thea walked in holding several bags.

"Hey" Thea grinned "Give us a hand will you"

"Here" Nyssa stepped off her stool and help Thea with her bags "what is all of this?"

"It's for you and Amina"

"Thea..."

"Oh hush, I knew you wouldn't have time to go do shopping so I did it for you" she smiled "Now I didn't know what you like to wear so I just based everything off what you wore when we went to that lesbian bar..."

"What!" Oliver questioned "that's why you didn't want the rest of the team going?"

"Pretty much" Thea laughed "Anyway, also I got some clothes a size up from what I am or the same size because we are almost the same, I hope so anyway. And with Amina I just got some regular clothes, I didn't get pink because of the discussion we had on that color while on our little adventure, but if you want me to take..."

"Thea" Nyssa cut her off "It's fine, It's perfect, thank you"

"You're welcome" She smiled "So what are we doing now?"

"Dad is cooking pancakes" William spoke up "Then something about him and Nyssa heading to Paris"

"What!" Thea said alarmed "You can't be serious"

"I need answers" Nyssa tried "Maybe they left something at ou-my apartment, anything that could just put my mind at ease"

"What do you need that for! The assassins could be still there"

"Thea..." Oliver tried

"We know why they attacked, Athena is dead, what more is there?"

"I-I" Nyssa stuttered "I'm going to get changed" Nyssa picked the bags up and headed over to the bedroom.

"Thea" Oliver tried "That's not why she needs to put her mind at ease"

"What..."

"It's about him, Mason" Oliver explained "She doesn't know what happened, if he's dead or just wounded"

"Oh god..." Thea scolded herself "How could I be so inconsiderate"

"Hey, you didn't realise, just speak with her" Thea nodded and headed off in the direction of Nyssa. When she reached the room she knocked on the door

"Are you decent?" She questioned

"Yes" Nyssa replied and Thea opened the door. When she walked in she saw Nyssa digging through the bags and pulling out clothes, Thea assumed she was going for a shower.

"Hey" Thea said closing the door behind her "I'm sorry"

"It's fine" Nyssa waved her off

"No it's not, I didn't realise and I should have. I know this is a really tough time for you and for me to just come in an act like it wasn't was really disrespectful, I'm sorry"

"Thank you"

"H-How are you?"

"Fine..."

"Nyssa"

"It's hard, Thea. I think I just lost my fiance, I don't have a home, I don't have a job and my daughter might have lost her father" Thea dreaded the look in Nyssa's eyes as she saw the tears starting to form inside them "I-I don't know what to do anymore. I had everything I ever wanted, a-and now it's gone. The only thing keeping me going is Amina, I would be nothing without her" A tear finally escaped her eye's and Thea couldn't help it when she leaned forward and brought Nyssa into her arms

"Oh Nyssa" she could feel Nyssa clutching to her tightly but she didn't mine as she knew this was a woman in mourning "I am so sorry, me, Oliver and the team are here whenever you need, okay? W-We can go back to your apartment, we will get answers and we will do everything in our power to keep you and Amina safe. If need be, Amina can come with us, she is no safer here alone, but she can be if she remains with us and she is on surveillance 24/7" Thea pulled back and held Nyssa's hand

"Really?"

"Yes, Nyssa you helped me with my father, you helped me right his wrongs and now It's my time to help you"

"Thank you"

"Your like my ex-sister-in-law, of course" Thea smiled at her "Now I'm going to grab Amina so she can have a shower with you and by the time you are finished breakfast should be done" Nyssa nodded and Thea went to walk out of the room. After a hard time of convincing Amina to go for a shower, she eventually did it and was just waiting for them to finish.

Nyssa grabbed the conditioner and started gently rubbing it through Amina's hair. Amina had medium long, jet black hair just like her mother and it had a tendency to get knotty.

"Here" Nyssa folded up a dry wash cloth and handed it to her. Amina took it and placed it on her eyes so Nyssa could start washing out her hair. After that was done she shut off the water, wrapped both of them in towels and heading into the bedroom. Just as Thea promised, there was no pink clothing for Amina or herself. She grabbed out some black jeans, a burgundy shirt, black boots and put them on. Amina's attire wasn't all different as she had a dark red dress with black lining underneath it with some small black booties also. Nyssa brushed through her hair and let it air dry into it's natural curl. When they walked into the kitchen Nyssa could hear the laughter of the family.

"Breakfast?" Oliver questioned as he held up a plate of pancakes. Amina looked towards her mother who gave her a smile and pushed her forward so she could grab a plastic plate.

"What do you say?" Nyssa ask

"Thank you" Amina said in a sweet voice as she took a seat at the coffee table next to William.

"With my mom taught me manners like that" Thea grumbled

"You didn't turn out so bad" Nyssa replied but then decided to tease "You're brother on the other hand..."

"Hey!" Oliver laughed "I'll have you know I am the mayor, that counts for something"

"Okay, you have both done well with your lives"

"And Amina is lucky to have you as a mother" Oliver replied and Nyssa smiled at him

"Okay..." Thea said looking between the two "This is weird, when did you two become so close"

"Not really sure" Oliver replied "We used to call every now and again, make sure we weren't dead"

"Safe to say we weren't" Nyssa added

"We also went bowling once"

"That was my first and probably last time going"

"Why?" Thea questioned

"Apparently I was playing the game wrong"

"You were throwing knives at the pins that you didn't hit with the ball" Oliver explained

"It worked didn't it"

"It also got you banned for life"

"It was boring anyway"

"Well I enjoyed myself"

"Ollie always did love bowling" Thea grinned

"When do we have to head back to the bunker?" Nyssa questioned after a moment of silence

"Well I don't have work and neither does speedy" Oliver replied "So anytime"

"We should probably wait for those two to finish" Thea pointed over to William who was cutting up Amina's pancakes for her.

"Sounds good, I'll start washing up" Oliver said as he started moving around the kitchen again

 **~Arrow~**

Felicity perked up when she heard the elevator ding and Oliver, Thea and Nyssa holding Amina walked out.

"You're back" Felicity said "I mean of course your back, why wouldn't you be, back from Oliver's apartment, where you stayed the night, b-but not together, together because Nyssa doesn't swing that way, actually she does now because of your fiance and Amina..."

"Felicity" Oliver tried

"Sorry" She grimaced

"What's happening" Dig questioned as he heard their little chat

"We have a plan" Oliver announced "We are going to head back to Paris"

"What! Why?" Roy questioned

"Nyssa need's answers" Thea replied as she grabbed his hand "and the only way we are going to get them is if we go straight to the source"

"Well, who's going?" Felicity question

"As of now me, Thea, Nyssa and Amina" Oliver replied

"Amina?"

"I can't leave her, n-not that I don't trust you it's just..." Nyssa tried

"I get it" Dig nodded at her

"I will go" Roy said "If there are any assassins, I'm ready to kick some ass"

"Dig?" Oliver questioned turning to him

"Sorry guys, Lyla is incredibly busy and JJ has just come down with a nasty stomach bug, he isn't keeping much down" Dig replied

"All good Dig" Oliver nodded "Felicity we need you here to track anything in Star"

"Cool because I didn't want to go to Paris anyway" she replied "and I have a meeting about Curtis and I's company in a few days"

"How is that going anyway?" Thea questioned

"Really good, after a few months of planning we finally kick started it 3 months ago"

"That's amazing"

"Yeah, thanks"

"Anyway, I will book the earliest flights I can find and we can go"

"Sounds good" Thea grinned

 **~Arrow~**

That night it was around 10pm and Nyssa was sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket and watching Tv. She had put Amina down to bed and she heard Oliver say goodnight to William before heading to a shower. Tomorrow night she will be heading back to Paris, heading back to the place where her life changed forever. Where Amina was born, where the love of her life asked her to marry him, where everything she didn't have growing up was in the palm of her hand. But she was also going back to where she last saw Mason, where she could have lost Amina and that frightened her. She worried that the memories and emotional connection would be too much and she would lose part of herself. But she knew she had to stay strong for Amina, to give her a normal childhood full of love and everything that Nyssa didn't have the privilege of having.

Her head perked up when she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Oliver walk into the room. He was wearing simple shorts and a iight grey top. His hair was wet indicating that he did go for a shower.

"Hey" He greeted her

"Hey" she smiled as he came around the couch and sat down

"What are you watching?"

"Some documentary"

"Super interesting"

"It's better than those fake action shows" Nyssa scoffed "The choreography is awful and everyone fights like they have two left feet and a blindfold on"

"Noted. Do you want something to drink"

"Sure"

"Alcoholic or non-alcoholic"

"The last few days have been rough"

"I'm going to say alcoholic then" Nyssa nodded and Oliver got off the couch to walk over to the kitchen. He grabbed two wine glasses from the cupboard before grabbing a bottle of red wine and sitting back down. He handed Nyssa her glass and poured her's first before pouring his own.

"It's been so long since I've had wine" Nyssa said as she took a sip "I've missed it"

"Now that I come to think of it, me too. I've been just so busy with William, work and the Green Arrow"

"I know the feeling" she took another sip of her wine "So what happened?"

"What happened with what?"

"'You and Felicity"

"Oh that" he took a sip of his own drink "Well I asked her to Marry me and she said no. She told me that she wouldn't ever want to get married, I just thought that If she loved me like I loved her she would want to get married, I guess not"

"Marriages are hard, should have seen my first one, I didn't even get a honeymoon"

"Does stopping a bio-weapon from destroying an entire city count as a honeymoon?" Oliver laughed

"Depends what your into, I think with us it would have been perfect"

"If it wasn't forced"

"of course" they both laughed

"I think it brought us closer together as friends"

"So it wasn't all bad" Nyssa laughed

"Now we are happily divorced"

"Cheers to that" they both clinked their glasses and laughed

"So how's Sara?" Nyssa questioned

"As far as I know, she's good. She was dating someone named Ava but I think they broke it off, so...she's free now"

"Sara and I are over, we were ages ago" Nyssa explained "It didn't matter how much we loved one another, we were never meant to be together. It only took my father, a few deaths and emotional battles with myself to figure it out. Besides, I-I'm not ready, if Mason is out there I'm going to find him"

"And I will be right by your side when you do"

 **~Arrow~**

Nyssa could almost jump in joy when they arrived at Oliver's private jet. She hated commercial flying and apparently so did Amina.

"Wow" Amina giggled as Nyssa placed her down on her seat "Big"

"It is big sweetheart" Nyssa smiled down at her "It's also going to be a long flight"

"I don't like"

"Yeah me either" Thea groaned as she took a seat across from them

"It's not that bad" Oliver tried

"Your used to it because you travel for business all the time" Roy replied

"There's a tv" Oliver pointed

"Look's like it's gonna be kids shows the entire time" Thea laughed after she saw Amina playing with the remote.

"Here" Nyssa held out her hand and Amina gave her the remote "What do you wanna watch"

"Sponge" Amina giggled

"Sponge?" Roy questioned confused

"She means sponge bob" Nyssa said flicking to the channel

"Yay" Amina cheered

"Here" Oliver reached into the seat side pocket and pulled out some head phones "These will help" Oliver reached over and placed them on her.

"Thank you" Amina smiled

"you're welcome" Oliver replied

"She likes you" Nyssa grinned

"Of course, who doesn't"

"Damien Darhk" Thea piped up

"Adrian Chase" Roy added

"Isabel Rochev"

"Amanda Waller"

"Anatoly"

"Sebastian Blood"

"Captain boomerang"

"Tobias Church"

"Evelyn Sharp"

"Talia Al Ghul"

"Vigilante"

"Okay I get it" Oliver scoffed "I haven't made good friends in the past"

"At least out last large baddie was over 5 months ago" Thea replied

"We have somewhat normal lives" Roy laughed

"This is why I stayed in Paris" Nyssa rolled her eyes "I just can't keep up anymore"

"I live here and I still can't keep up" Thea laughed

"Shhhhh" they all turned toward's Amina who had a finger over her lips

"Guess we should be quiet" Roy whispered

"I'm going to watch sponge bob" Thea said as she pulled out some headphones and put them on

"I'm going to watch something more...me" Roy said as he pulled out his laptop

"Guess it's just us" Oliver said looking over at Nyssa. Nyssa grinned before going into her bag and pulling out a large book. She gently sat back and opened it "Guess it's jsut me"

 **~Arrow~**

After hiring a rental car, with Oliver in the drivers seat they all headed towards Nyssa's apartment. Roy was in the front with Oliver while Amina, Nyssa and Thea were in the back. Knowing the place well Nyssa was easily able to give hem directions and within about two hours they had pulled up in the drive way. Nyssa grabbed Amina from the car and started heading towards the front door.

"Home?" Amina questioned

"Yeah baby" Nyssa sadly smiled. Nyssa grabbed the door handle and wasn't surprised when she found it was unlocked. She opened the door a little and could already see the mess that littered the floor. She took a step back and tried to collect herself.

"Here" Thea stepped up and placed a hand on Nyssa's shoulder before opening the door. When it was completely opened Amina wriggled from Nyssa's arms and she was placed on the ground. Without hesitation Amina sprinted into the home.

"Wait!" Nyssa called chasing after her. Now she had a full visual of the house and everything was ruined. Photo frames were smashed, the couch was almost cut open, the dining table had a large split down the center and just personal items were thrown around.

"Wow" Roy commented as he looked around careful not to step on anything. He looked down when he saw Amina zoom past him and into the kitchen. In fact they all watched her as she ran around the house, almost as if she was looking for something. Nyssa leaned down and picked up a photo frame, it was her and Mason with a new born baby in Nyssa's arms. Nyssa's legs buckled from underneath her and she fell to the ground.

"Nyssa!" Oliver exclaimed as they all came rushing over to her "What happened?"

"Oliver..." Thea said pointing to the photo in Nyssa's hand "Can I see?" Nyssa looked at her sadly before handing over the photo.

"It was just after Amina was born" Nyssa choked "I still remember, like it was yesterday. Mason cried, much like I did, she was a blessing. She was ours, together"

"I'm so sorry" Oliver tried, Nyssa didn't get to reply when Amina came running and crashing into her.

"Gone" Amina said

"What?" Nyssa questioned

"Daddy" Amina explained

"oh..."

"Back?"

"I-I don't know sweetie"

"I want daddy"

"Amina..."

"Daddy come back"

"Amina please" Nyssa begged on the verge of tears

"I want Daddy!" Amina cried

"Daddy's not here"

"Daddy, daddy, Daddy!"

"Amina!" Nyssa shouted startling the young one and everyone in the room. Nyssa had never yelled at Amina, not once in her entire life. She immediately regretted it when the tears built up in Amina's eyes and she wrapped her arms around herself. Nyssa leaned forward and gently grabbed Amina's hand.

"I'm sorry" Nyssa sobbed "I should've yelled, I-I just..." she didn't have time to finish when Amina threw herself into her mothers arms and buried her head into her chest.

"sad" Amina tried

"Yeah baby, mommy's sad" Nyssa said kissing the top of Amina's head.

"No one is here" Roy spoke up

"They have taken him" Nyssa replied grabbing Amina and standing

"Do you have camera's?" Oliver questioned

"We do"

"Call Felicity" Oliver instructed turning to Thea

"Sure thing" Thea replied grabbing her phone

After about 30 minutes Felicity was able to hack into the Camera's and send the live footage to Thea's phone. They all watched as Mason fought against the assassins. Nyssa let out a sharp breath when Mason was stabbed into the stomach. She gripped Thea's hand as they watched him grab Mason's body and drag it out of the apartment.

"He was breathing" Nyssa tried "h-He could still be out there" they continued to watch as they put his body into a van and drove off

"The number plate" Oliver said "Can Felicity tell us where the van went?"

"Have you met Felicity" Roy laughed and Thea sent her the details. A few minutes later Felicity replied

"They van is about 10 miles west" Thea said "Oh and guess where it is"

"Is it in a warehouse?" Roy questioned

"Actually, not this time" Thea smiled "an old abandoned mansion"

"Seriously?" Oliver raised his eyebrows

"I'm dead serious"

"So let's go then" Nyssa urged

"Wait, someone needs to stay with Amina here" Oliver tried

"I will" Thea spoke up without hesitation "You two are much better at fighting than me and quite frankly I don't trust Roy around kids yet"

"Hey!" Roy tried

"Sorry babe" Thea shrugged her shoulders

"I'll go grab the gear from the car" Roy quickly ran off towards the front

"Thank you" Nyssa smiled over at Thea

"Anytime" they waiting about a minute before Roy walked back in with everything

"Suit up" Oliver grinned. Within 10 minutes they were all ready to go

"Please don't die" Thea begged

"We will try not to" Roy replied giving her a quick kiss

"Let's go" Nyssa said and they all heading out towards the car.

 **~Arrow~**

The car rolled up in front of an large, old and worn down mansion. Thea was right about it being abandoned, on the gate there was a large do not enter sign. They all exited the car and walked towards the gate.

"I see the van" Oliver announced as he looked through the gate

"They must be inside then" Nyssa tried

"We just have to find a way in" Roy spoke up as he looked around "Over there!" they all looked towards a fence that looked like it had been cut open

"good" Nyssa immediately ran over to it and slid through followed by the two men. Nyssa pulled out her sword when they reached the large front door. Using one hand she pushed it open far enough where they could all sneak in. It was incredibly dark and silent which would be expected for an abandoned mansion, except this one was currently occupied. Behind Nyssa she could hear some whizzing and turned just in time to catch an arrow aimed at her chest. In that moment several assassins came out, swords drawn and ready to fight.

"Al Ghul" One of them stated as they stepped forward, probably the new leader

"You have taken something of mine" Nyssa growled "I would like him back"

"You mean your fiance" he laughed "The one we stabbed and listened to his screams as he called your name"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Highly unlikely, your outnumbered"

"and your out skilled"

"See that's where your wrong. We have a special weapon"

"Weapon?" Roy murmured

"Something close to home" he raised his hand and gave a flick of his wrist. Two assassins walked forward holding someone with a bag on their head in chains. He was dressed like the assassins with a bow on his back and a sword at his side "It's surprising what someone will go through to keep their family safe"

"No..." Nyssa tried

"But yes. They will do anything, go through any experiment. Modern science is amazing, how easily it is to make someone bend to your will, make them complexly unaware of their actions. It's funny what a simple mind control serum entered right into the blood stream can do" the man under the mask thrashed and growled against the assassins "Of course he only listens to me, I am his maker after all" he nodded at the assassins and they took the mask off his head. Nyssa's breath got caught in her throat and she could hear the team let out gasps "May I present, Overkill"

"No..." Nyssa cried "M-Mason..."


	3. Chapter 3

**In case you're wondering, Oliver is still the mayor in this!**

"M-Mason" Nyssa cried as she struggled to stay up. her knees almost giving out.

"There is only one way you are going to make it out of here alive" the assassin smirked.

"Oliver" Roy tried as assassin's started to surround them "What do we do?"

"This wasn't really apart of my plan" Oliver replied

"What? The assassins or Nyssa's fiance coming back to life and being mind controlled"

"the second one"

"M-Mason" Nyssa tried, ignoring the two men behind her. She lent down, put her sword on the ground, raised her hands and stood back up "L-Look at me. Mason, it's Nyssa" her fiance just growled in return "Please, this isn't you, you've been drugged and manipulated. Come back to me, come back to Amina, you're daughter"

"He can't hear you" the assassin remarked "He is completely under my command, he doesn't even remember you. The Mason that you knew and loved is long gone"

"No..." Nyssa whispered shaking her head

"He has a higher calling, much more than being a pathetic husband and father. Since you disbanded the league we have evolved"

"You rule under a dead man!" Nyssa growled

"and we follow his legacy, he wanted to improve this world"

"He wanted to kill innocent people"

"How is this anyway different than when your father led the league"

"My father had lived for centuries, he had seen much but not all. He did not live among the people, he was taught to kill those who wronged, like I had. But Malcolm killed 503 innocent people and he would kill more if he had the chance"

"We were to create a new beginning, a new world where only the strong survive" the man narrowed his eyes "You know, you could have had it all. You had the demon's head in your hand, in your very grasp, and you threw it all away and for what...love? It's pathetic really, I thought your father told you love was a weakness"

"He was wrong"

"Really? Because I have the love of your life standing next to me, ready to do anything at my command. and your daughter, Amina, you would die for her, kill for her and you would break if anything were to happen to her. Is that not a prime example of how love is a weakness?"

"You would know nothing of love!" Oliver growled

"Now your pets are speaking for you" he manically laughed "I've had enough chat" he then turned to 'Overkill' "Kill her" Nyssa's head darted towards Mason in a look of pure shock. The man nodded at his 'master' before pulling his sword from his scabbard before looking directly into Nyssa's eyes.

Nyssa couldn't believe what was happening. The person standing in front of her was not Mason, was not her fiance. His eyes had turned to a pitch black, there was no loving look that Nyssa was so used to receiving, there was no twitch of the eye signifying he was in there somewhere, the only thing Nyssa saw was anger and death.

"Nyssa..." Oliver tried effectively snapping her out of her gaze. She then looked around to find the other assassins's had also drawn their swords

"hujum (attack)" the assassin grinned

"Wait what?" Roy questioned not understanding the language but he finally got it when an Assassin started running at him and Oliver. While Oliver and Roy were attacked by the other assassins, Mason headed straight for Nyssa. When Mason swung his sword at Nyssa's head she had to duck down and slide across the ground to grab her own sword before standing to face him again. He sent multiple attack's coming her way and she was finding it hard to keep up with his momentum, either from how much her heart was hurting or lack of training. He brought his sword down towards her head and she was just able to block it. Mason pushed down harder and Nyssa used both hands to hold her sword above her head, finding it hard to match his strength. An idea clicked into her head and she decided to use a trick she learnt when she was 12. Her left hand reached forward and she grabbed onto Mason's wrist. She could feel herself loosing power so she had to act quickly. Using her left hand, she pried his hand away from his sword and twisted. He let out a yelp and Nyssa twisted her body, kicked his legs out from underneath him before standing up herself.

Oliver dodged under and attack and used his bow to force the assassin back into Roy's awaiting arrow. After dropping the assassin he quickly turned and notched an arrow, sending 1, 2,3 and 4 arrows into four assassins that were behind him.

"Oliver!" Roy called and he turned towards the younger man "Catch" Roy reached down and snatched a sword from one of the assassins bodies. He then threw is across the room and over to Oliver who caught it, just in time to block an oncoming attack.

Nyssa ducked under Mason's attack but when she came back up he had already recovered and hit her in the stomach with the hilt of his sword. Nyssa doubled over in pain and wasn't quick enough to avoid the knee that hit her again in the stomach. He went in for another punch but Nyssa dodged it and moved around so she was now in a standing position. Mason whipped his sword around aiming for her rib's, but she blocked it while going in for a punch towards his chest. Her punch was deflected when Mason brought his left hand around to the front to deter it. Nyssa didn't waste any time in bringing her leg around behind his and flipping him to the floor. He rolled back to avoid the sword that was heading towards him.

Fighting assassins was a lot harder than Roy anticipated. Sure, he had fought a few before, even fought Nyssa, lost, but fought never the less. Every time he would take one down, there was just another heading for him. Sometimes it felt like he was fighting on his own. Suddenly he heard an arrow whizzing towards him and turned to see a sword clatter to the ground. He looked past the assassin about to stab him and was Oliver with his bow raised. He nodded at the older man before grabbing the arrow and stabbing the assassin in the leg with it.

Mason sent another attack her way and she had to roll back to avoid it. Their sword's clashed together creating an echo through the building and sparks to fly around them. Mason kicked Nyssa in the leg causing her to stagger backwards and groan as her leg protested to movement. While she was disoriented Mason took this as an opportunity to knock the sword from her hand. When Nyssa returned from her state she noticed her sword off to the side and another sword heading directly towards her. She rolled backwards and into a crouch position to avoid the blow. She quickly stood as Mason let out a growl, Nyssa knew that if she wanted to she could take him down. But she couldn't find herself to do it, this man wore the face of her fiance but what was inside, was a completely different story. Suddenly Mason screamed as he ran forward swinging his sword at Nyssa's legs. Doing the only thing she could think of, Nyssa did a side aerial right over the sharp blade and effectively landed back on her feet.

Six. There were six assassins left that weren't on the ground, groaning in pain with arrows in their legs. This included their leader, the one who turned Mason into what he was today. Oliver felt a burning rage, a burning rage to kill this man. He hurt Nyssa and Amina, that was unforgivable. He and Nyssa had become quite close over the years, much like one another they were surrounded by darkness. Although it seems that Nyssa had found her light, either it be Amina or Mason. This man, this ass hole had taken away some of Nyssa's light and for that, he had to pay. But Oliver didn't kill anymore, he doesn't even remember the last time that he did kill. Shaking the thought from his mind, he ran at the assassins followed by Roy.

Mason sent a fury of kicks towards Nyssa who was just able to block them. She leaned down and used the hilt of her sword to smash it into his kneecap, followed by a crack. Mason brought his hand around and smashed it down on Nyssa's wrist, she lost her balance and dropped her sword. With her loss of weaponry, Mason kicked her in the stomach with his uninjured leg sending her sprawling across the ground. Nyssa groaned and clutched her stomach as if she was about to vomit everywhere. She looked up to see Mason towering over her, sword in hand. Using the last bit of energy she had, she spun the bottom half of her body around and used her right leg to kick the sword from her fiance's hand. Letting out a low and angry growl, Mason jumped onto Nyssa, straddling her while wrapping his hands around her neck.

Roy turned, reached back, grabbed an arrow from his quiver and turned back around to stab the assassin right into his shoulder. He cringed at the sound it back but forced the assassin onto the ground before punching him in the face, effectively knocking him out. He looked up to see Oliver take down another assassins and turned to the last one left, their leader.

"Two on one" the man mocked "Hardly seems fair"

"Fair goes out the window when you're fighting someone who wants to kill you" Oliver growled as Roy stepped up beside him.

"And to think, you were Ra's at one point"

"Let me show you what that means" Oliver grabbed a sword and ran at the man. Oliver jumped over a leg sweep and turned around so he was facing the mans back. He used the hilt of his sword and hit him between his shoulder blades. The man was pushed forward and Roy took this as an advantage. He ran forward and went to punch the assassin in the face, but before his fist could connect he found himself flying across the room from a swift kick to the stomach. He then swiftly turned around and Oliver had to lean back to avoid the flying sword heading his way. While Oliver was leaning back, the man pushed forward and sliced the top of Oliver's thigh. Letting out a groan but attempting to ignore the pain, Oliver stepped forward on his uninjured leg and punched the man straight in the throat. He dropped his sword as he stumbled back holding his throat, violently coughing. Oliver stepped forward once again and sent another punch to his cut, this time sending him to the ground. When the man landed, he went to crawl away but found a sword at his throat and Roy standing there.

"Please..." Nyssa tried as she struggled to breathe "Mason this isn't you!"

"I, Not, Mason!" he growled pushing down harder. Nyssa's vision was beginning to get hazy and she could feel her chest basically caving in on itself. She had no other option. She had to do it. Amina would grow up without a mother and a father if she didn't.

"I'm so sorry" Nyssa struggled, she leaned down into her boot and produced a knife. Without another thought Nyssa thrusted the knife into his chest. Nyssa watched as his mouth fell open and he took a gasping breath. His hands on her throat loosened and she reached up to throw Mason off her. He landed next to her with a thud and Nyssa rolled to the side, gasping for air.

"Nyssa!" Oliver yelled as he ran over to her and grabbed her shoulders. She had several cuts on her arms and one just below her eye, on her cheekbone "Hey, look at me" she did exactly that and Oliver could see the tears in her eyes. She didn't look at him for long when her eyes darted over to Mason who was bleeding out next to her.

Nyssa pounced from the ground and over to Mason, her injuries attempting to reject the sudden movement. When she reached him her right hand covered his injury while she ran her left hand down his face, the darkness in his eyes seeming to disappear.

"Hey..." Nyssa whispered, tears falling down her face "I'm here"

"D-Don't L-Leave" he choked out

"I won't" she cried wiping a tear that rolled down the side of his face "Mason, i-if you're in there at all, I-I'm sorry. I didn't want this, all I wanted was you and Amina, b-but I couldn't even do that right" Mason's right hand went straight to her cheek, rubbing away the tears that had fallen. Nyssa closed her eyes', leaning into the embrace and feeling his warmth for the last time. Mason was far to gone to be saved, evident by the blood pooling beneath him.

"S-Sorry" he breathed

"I know" she whispered leaning her forehead against his "Do you remember that time when Amina ate her first lemon?" Mason lightly nodded "Her face scrunched him so tight we thought she would explode, she even vowed never to eat lemons again. That was the same day that you proposed to me, it was perfect. You even worse a suit and tie, you never wear fancy clothes" she let out a light laugh "That's a memory I will never lose. The candles, the rose petals and you, bent down on one knee asking me to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, I love you so much"

"I-I love you" he replied, Nyssa pulled back and watched as he took his last breath. The oxygen leaving his lungs forever. Nyssa let out a heart strangling cry as she leaned against Mason's shoulder, his clothing catching her tears. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Oliver leaning down next to her. He opened his arms and Nyssa fell into his embrace, clutching him like her life depended on it. Oliver just sat there, whispering soothing words into Nyssa's ear while she mourned for the loss of her beloved.

"I'm so sorry..." Oliver tried after a few minutes "ARGUS has a base here in Paris, I-I called Lyla and she got into contact with the director here. They will be here soon, w-we should leave" he felt Nyssa nod against his shoulder. He gently stood up, bringing Nyssa with him and allowing her to lean on him. Roy gathered Nyssa's and Oliver's weapons before following them out.

 **~Arrow~**

"Hey!" Thea quickly stood when she heard the front door open. Roy walked in first, covered in blood which Thea hoped wasn't his own. Oliver and Nyssa followed after, the older Queen holding Nyssa by the arms so she wouldn't fall "What happened?"

"Not now" Oliver replied shaking his head and Thea slowly nodded.

"Amina?" Nyssa questioned

"She is asleep" Thea replied and Nyssa nodded

"i-I think I'm going to get cleaned up" only then did Thea see the blood coating her hand.

"Do you need help?" Oliver asked

"I-I will be fine" Nyssa didn't even look back when she started walking away to the bathroom.

"So, what really happened?" Thea asked

"Well, M-Mason was there" her older brother replied as he took off his gloves "There was also a bunch of other assassins, we can only hope they were the last"

"and?"

"The leader, we didn't get a name, but h-he put some kind of drug in Mason, he didn't even know who Nyssa was"

"Oh no..."

"Yeah, he would only listen to the leader. He ordered an attack and Mason went straight for Nyssa. They fought for a while, I could tell Nyssa was holding back. Eventually Mason got the upper hand and starting strangling her. She had no choice, she would have died"

"No..."

"she used the dagger in her boot. We called Lyla and she contacted the director for ARGUS here, they are taking care of it"

"H-how did she take it"

"Not well, I think someone should talk to her" suddenly they all heard a scream in the bathroom.

Nyssa staggered off into the bathroom, eager to remove the blood from her hands. When she entered into the room, she leaned against the basin and looked in the mirror. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, her hair was a mess and she had a large cut running down her face. She reached forward and turned the tap and waited until the water was a little warmer. She placed her hands under the water and started rubbing them together. After about 10 seconds she noticed that the blood wasn't coming off, it wasn't leaving her skin. She started scrubbing harder and harder, but no effect

"Come on!" she whispered to herself continuously scrubbing "Get off!" she scrubbed harder and could feel the tears falling down her face "Come on!...please, please, please, get off me!" she continued to scrub but it seemed nothing was taking effect. Eventually she turned the water off, leaned against the basin and let out a scream before falling to her knees. Only a few seconds later the bathroom door came swinging open as Thea, Oliver and Roy rushed in

"Hey..." Thea tried as she rushed to Nyssa's side "I'm here..."

"It won't come off" Nyssa cried as Thea ran her hand down her hair.

"Would you like some help?" Thea then turned to Oliver and Roy, nodded her head towards the door

"I'll check on you later" Oliver said before he and Roy left.

"Let's get you cleaned up" Thea put her hands under Nyssa's arms and helped pull her up. She then turned the warm water on and grabbed some soap. After putting some in Nyssa's hand she started rubbing the blood off it, watching it go down the drain.

"See..." Thea tried "It's coming off" Nyssa didn't say anything, just kept staring at the blood seeping down the drain. "How about we get you undressed, hey? Go for a nice shower"

"Yes" Nyssa whispered. She brought her hand up to her shoulder armour but found herself hissing in pain.

"Do you need some help?" Thea asked, she didn't real care for the answer, she was going to help anyway

"Please" Thea nodded and started helping Nyssa undress. The two woman didn't really care about the nakedness, they were both the same. Once that was done Thea started inspecting the large cut she had on her upper arm

"It's going to need a few stitches, but you will survive" Thea then turned towards the shower and turned it on. "Now I'm going to let you shower, just call out when you are finished"

"Thank you" Thea smiled and walked out of the room leaving Nyssa alone. Nyssa opened the shower door and stepped into the warm water. Closing her eyes, she let the water run down her back and through her hair. She opened her eyes and looked down to find blood flowing down the drain. She didn't know if it was hers or if it was someone else's, but it didn't stop the water from mixing with her tears. After washing down her body and her hair, Nyssa shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body.

"You done in there?" Thea asked from outside the door "I brought some clothes"

"You may come in" Nyssa replied and she turned when she heard the door open.

"I sort of raided your cupboard" Thea sheepishly said "I just got you some leggings and this burgundy top"

"Thank you"

"I also brought a first aid kit so I can stitch up your wound"

"Thank you"

"You can stop thanking me Nyssa" Thea smiled "You're like family" she then grabbed the clothes and passed them over to an awaiting Nyssa. After quickly getting changed she sat Nyssa down on the bathtub and starting working on her wound.

"Am I a bad person?" Nyssa asked after a moment of silence

"What?" Thea snapped "No, of course not. Why on earth would you think that"

"I-I just killed my fiance"

"You had no other choice"

"I could have spoken to him more, tried to get through to him"

"From what I heard from Ollie, that wasn't possible"

"I just didn't try hard enough"

"You did all you could Nys"

"I left Amina without a father"

"That wasn't your fault?"

"Wasn't it?" Nyssa asked disbelieving

"It was the assassins that drugged him and turned him against you. You did what you thought was right, for you and Amina" after cleaning the wound Thea grabbed the needle and catgut and starting stitching up the wound "I know it hurts"

"Pain and I came to an understanding years ago" Nyssa replied as Thea's delicate hands worked on her wound.

"I'm not talking about the stitching"

"oh..."

"Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's all going to be okay, because then I would be lying. Yeah, it's going to be tough, it's going to take a lot to get through this. But I just want to let you know that you have me, you have Oliver and the entire team. But most importantly you have Amina. That little girl loves you more than you can imagine, if I'm honest I couldn't get her to shut up about you" Nyssa lightly smiled "She looks up to you because you're her hero. Honestly, I think everyone looks up to you. I know I do, you're like the older sister I never had. I know Oliver does because he believes you are an amazing leader. Roy thinks of you and Olivier as mentors" she tied off the last piece of stitching before she started packing away the kit "J-just talk to someone, it doesn't have to be me, just someone. I know what it's like to have all these feelings bottled up and one day you are just going to explode"

"Thank you..."

"What did I say" Thea gave her a pointed look but smiled non the less "But you're welcome anyway. While you were showering we decided to head back to Star in the morning, so how about you get changed and head to your room. When at least I hope it's your room, it's a master and it's where I put Amina to sleep"

"There are other rooms for you too stay"

"I know, I mean I gave myself a little tour while you were gone. Hope you don't mind"

"It's fine..."

"Well I will see you in the morning"

"You will"

"goodnight" with that Thea walked out of the room. Nyssa let out a breath before she started heading off to the master bed room. When she opened the door she saw a small figure laying underneath the blankets on what used to be Mason's side of the bed. She gently walked over to her side of the bed and slid in next to Amina, pushing herself so she was curled around the young girl. As if on cue, Amina turned her body and cuddled up to her mother. Nyssa smiled sadly down at her daughter before kissing her on the head.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep

 **~Arrow~**

Nyssa's eye's fluttered open when she felt someone running their hand down her cheek. When her vision cleared she saw Amina sitting up, smiling down at her while rubbing her small hand down her mother's cheek.

"What are you doing sweetie?" Nyssa asked

"Pretty" Amina replied before grinning widely.

"Well thank you princess" Nyssa grabbed Amina from under the arm pits and rolled over to she was hovering above the small child. She then grinned wickedly and started tickling the smaller child who bursts out into a fit of giggles.

"Stop it" Amina laughed and Nyssa just tickled more

"Hey you two" came a voice behind them and they turned to see Thea walked in

"Hiiii" Amina grinned before escaping her mother's grasp

"Morning" Nyssa replied getting off the bed

"You two seem energetic"

"She just has that effect"

"Anyway, we have a plane to catch"

"Right..."

"The boys are already ready, I just wanted to see if you wanted to take anything. Oliver spoke with the director of ARGUS here and they said they could take care of the house, maybe resell, unless of course you want to stay here"

"I-I think it would be safer for Amina to be in Star"

"Of course, so the house?"

"They can sell it, I won't take much, Just personal items and some clothes"

"They said they can ship it all as soon as possible, do you have any boxes?"

"We have a few in the roof of the house"

"I should start putting my boxes there" Thea smirked

"It saves space"

"Anyway, Oliver whipped up something for breakfast. Really whatever you had in your cupboard and fridge. So you get dressed, have breakfast and I'll help you pack some boxes"

"Thank you"

"You're welcome" Thea grinned before bouncing out of the room

"I like her" Amina giggled

"yeah, me too"

 **~Arrow~**

"You're done" Thea turned towards Nyssa when she walked into the kitchen.

"Yes" Nyssa replied taking a seat at the bench. Suddenly something collided when Thea's leg she looked down to see Amina wearing a cute purple dress.

"Hello gorgeous" Thea remarked as she leaned down and picked up Amina, popping her onto her hip "What would you like for breakfast. We have toast or cereal"

"She like's the fruit loops" Nyssa spoke up

"Yeahhh" Amina grinned

"Well then let's get the girl some fruit loops then" Thea smiled as she started pouring the cereal into the bow and adding the milk.

"Here" Oliver said as he slid a plate over to Nyssa which had toast on it "It's no pancakes, but it's all we have"

"Thank you" Nyssa replied grabbing a piece and taking a bite. After making small talk and quickly eating breakfast Nyssa and Thea found themselves in the living room packing boxes.

"What's this?" Thea asking holding up a note book which had a world map on the front.

"A list of all the places Mason and I wanted to go" she replied "That was before Amina was born"

"St. Lucia, Banff, Alberta, Costa Rica, Pucket" Thea said as she read out the places "Disneyland?"

"Mason really wanted to see the Pirates of The Caribbean ride" she lightly laughed "He was a big fan"

"This is impressive, maybe you could take Amina to these places when she is older"

"That would be nice..." they continued to dig through personal items until Nyssa came across a photo album. Thea secretly looked over her shoulder as Nyssa started flipping through it.

"This was when we first brought Amina home" Nyssa explained as she could sense Thea looking over her shoulder. She then held up the book higher so Thea could see better, it was a picture of Mason holding a newborn on his legs "She was always silent, never cried, never fussed, she was always just...peaceful"

"That's because she has you as a mother" Thea replied grabbing the book from her hands, closing it and putting it in the box "I think we should hurry up, the boys are being...boys and Oliver kinda has a job as the mayor which he needs to get back to"

"of course" Nyssa started speeding up as she put the last item in the box and sealed it up.

"That the last of it?"

"Yes"

"Good, we can leave the box here and ARGUS will come around after we have left to ship it and clean up. So let's get on a plane, shall we"

 **~Arrow~**

Amina clenched her eyes and squeezed her mother's hand when the plane start to descend. Amina wasn't a fan of landing which Nyssa found cute when she would scrunch her face up.

"Doesn't like the descend?" Oliver grinned as he watched Amina

"She is not a fan" Nyssa replied

"I never used to be either" he replied "hey, I've been meaning to ask"

"yes?"

"What do you want to do about...Mason. I mean would you like a funeral, a burial?"

"I-I haven't thought that far ahead yet"

"You don't have to decide now, I just think it will be easier if we start planning soon"

"I-I think he would want something simple, traditional, burial"

"League tradition?"

"it would be preferred, we know of no other's"

"Then that's what it will be, I'm proud of you"

"Why?"

"For staying brave for yourself and Amina, and not completely losing yourself"

"I'm not" she replied "I'm just good at hiding it"

 **~Arrow~**

 _A few day's later_

Nyssa stood alone in a cemetery, standing in front of a grave that held her beloved. Nyssa felt like someone had reached into her chest, grabbed her heart and ripped it out. Would the pain ever go away? The last time she ever felt like this was when Sara had died. Why did everyone she love die? Sara was gone. Laurel was gone. Mason was gone. Her mother was gone. Even her father whom she loved in her own way despite everything he did. She even loves Talia, they didn't leave on good terms but she was still her sister, in fact Nyssa didn't even know where her sister was at all. All Nyssa's knew is that she has dedicated her life to protecting Amina. Amina was her world, she would be nothing without that little ball of light. She knows that she has people to help her. She knows that people love her, but the pain in her chest was making her forget all that. It was making her forget that Oliver had offered his home until she and Amina found one of their own. She was forgetting that Thea took her in and treated her like family. She was forgetting that Team Arrow was treating her like their own, despite previous disagreements. Despite everyone around her, despite all their support, Nyssa couldn't help but feel guilty.

Guilty that she took her daughter's father away. Guilty that she killed her own fiance. Guilty that she couldn't snap Mason from his trance. Just guilt. All Nyssa wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die. It was selfish and it was the cowards way out, but it's something she couldn't stop thinking of. Her heart starting racing, she started feeling fatigued and she was struggling to breath. Was this what a panic attack felt like? It must be. Nyssa was feeling incredibly vulnerable, she was in no condition to fight, yet it felt like the universe was out to get her. Why couldn't she just be happy? Was happiness really denied to her? Was it really something that was forbidden?

Nyssa shook her head and felt her hair cascade down her shoulders. She pulled her hand back into it's quiver and pulled out an arrow. She gently nocked her arrow before reaching into her pocket, pulling out a lighter and lighting the tip of her arrow on fire. She pointed it in the sky, took a deep breath and released. Without even looking back up Nyssa started heading towards the road until she came up to a limo that was parked on the curb. She reached down and pulled open the door and slid into the back of the large car.

"Are you okay?" Oliver questioned as he sat across from her

"No" she replied "Can we just leave"

"Of course" Oliver turned towards the driver "Back to the penthouse"

"Yes Mr. Mayor" he replied before driving off. As they were driving Nyssa looked out the window and saw a single arrow sticking out from the centre of Mason's grave.


End file.
